Until We Meet Again
by Navirae
Summary: Ichigo had five years to decide his fate...five long years without Rukia, with a promise to be together when they meet. Now they've reunited...but they soon realize some promises are only made to be broken.
1. Prologue

_**Until We Meet Again - Prologue**_

_Author's Note_

_This was supposed to be a small flashback in chapter 2, but as I continued to write, it became to the point that it was long enough for its own chapter hehe. This is the prologue to the story of "Until We Meet Again", at the time of the separation between Ichigo and Rukia five years prior to the actual story. _

_Goodbyes are not forever.  
Goodbyes are not the end.  
They simply mean I'll miss you  
Until we meet again!  
Author Unknown_

Five years ago

One could question whether the heavens knew what was to ensue that day. For even though there was nothing but the bright rays of the sun filtering each corner of Soul Society for the past few days, this day it was completely blanketed by thick ashen clouds. Thunder could be heard from afar, and it seemed that rain was imminent.

Rukia walked along a small field near the edge of Soul Society, where the rest were to meet to say their goodbyes. The soft blades of grass brushed against her bare feet as she walked back and forth, staring at the skies above. A soft crunching of the leaves behind her made her turn. Ichigo was walking up the hill towards her, a sullen look apparent on his face. He looked up briefly and his eyes met hers immediately. He stopped abruptly and continued to watch her. Rukia could feel her cheeks flush slightly as he resumed his pace and stood next to her within a moment. There was nothing but silence as the two stood next to one another, staring at the remains of Soul Society. There was still so much that had to be rebuilt, and they knew it would be a long time before it could once more become what it used to be.

For a while, Rukia willed herself to look only at the city, but her eyes betrayed her as they slowly turned to the corner to see what Ichigo was doing. His eyes were closed, as he appeared to be deep in his thoughts. Rukia watched him for a moment before shifting her eyes back. A heavy sigh of frustration caused her to turn her head towards him again. He was now scratching his head, his eyes still closed and his eyebrows dangerously furrowed.

"I still don't understand the need for this…" he replied in irritation.

Rukia smiled gently as he slowly descended and sat on the cold grass, his face still wearing his usual frown. She too gently took a seat next to him, beginning to play with a strand of grass in front of her.

"There is a need, Ichigo. Your place right now is with your family, your friends…"

"And what are you then?" he interrupted.

Rukia shook her head before punching him lightly in the arm. He flinched slightly as she made a face at him. "You know what I mean…"

Ichigo crossed his legs and made such a face that Rukia was instantly reminded of a five year old that had just been scolded. She hid her smirk, knowing he was waiting for just one opportunity to begin an argument.

"Anyways," she resumed, "You need time. It's as simple as that. So much has happened, and so much still needs to be rebuilt…and you have obligations yourself to fulfill, Ichigo …"

They looked up to see a few figures in the far distance walking towards them. Rukia meant to get up, but at that moment she froze as she felt his fingers slide around her wrist firmly, holding her there. She looked at him, startled. He did not return her gaze.

"Will…I not see you at all until the time comes?" His voice quavered slightly even though he attempted to sound completely indifferent to the matter.

Rukia smiled gently, nodding. "We will…"

"What about your training? You said you would be gone from here as well for the next few years…"

Rukia hesitated, biting her lip as she thought of a way to ease his doubts, but in truth even she knew that the chances for them meeting anytime soon was unlikely. But perhaps the thought that they would could be comfort enough until the time came. "I promise I will come to meet you, Ichigo…very soon…don't worry; I have my ways…" she added, sticking her tongue out.

"Rukia…I…"

The wind howled and the sound of thunder began to make its way closer to them. There was nothing but silence between them. Rukia seemed to have lost her complete composure as he continued to hold onto her wrist, realizing just how close they were to one another. With a sudden swift motion, Ichigos' eyes met hers, his gaze piercing her with such a strong force that Rukia found herself slightly trembling as his face moved dangerously close to hers.

"Oye, Rukia, Ichigo, there you are!"

The two turned quickly, having forgotten that there were others making their way to them. Renji was in the lead, followed closely by Ishida, Inoue, and Chad. Rukia quickly pulled her wrist free from Ichigo and got up. Ichigo followed her over to Renji, slightly frustrated at the interruption.

Ichigo followed the rest of the group quietly, paranoid at the thought that Rukia was deliberately ignoring him now. She remained very close to Inoue, refusing to look at him or say a word. After walking for nearly fifteen minutes, they made their way to the designated portal, finding Captain Ukitake and a few others waiting for them there.

As everyone began their farewells, Rukia finally turned to Ichigo. "I guess this is it…"

"Yeah…until we meet again, of course…" Ichigo reminded her.

Rukia shook her head, smiling. "Yes, until we see each other again…and…oh…"

She pulled out a folded page that she had been keeping since he found her by the hill. She opened it, softly straightening the creases on the paper. She handed the page to him, beaming with pride. Ichigo looked at her curiously and then to the paper. "Um…"

It was a…well, Ichigo had no idea what it was. It was definitely a drawing of Rukia's. There was one of her usual rabbits, except this time it had some very distinguishing qualities to it; for one, a big spiky mess of orange hair on top of it.

"Um…Rukia…what the hell is this?"

Rukia pouted slightly. "It's you, of course, Ichigo. A parting gift…I stayed up all night working on it…"

Ichigo smirked, shaking his head as he looked at the drawing again. "I can never understand your drawings, Rukia…" he joked.

He suddenly felt an enormous amount of guilt as he had not gotten anything for her. She had spent so much time on this. He continued to look at the drawing of the bunny, complete in a shinigami outfit and a zanpaktou in his hand.

"Tsk, Ichigo, give it back to me then if you don't want it…"

Ichigo moved his hand away as she made a swipe for the paper. "No, I'm keeping it…"

Rukia could feel her cheeks flush as her patience began to wear thin. "Ichigo, you ba-"

She stopped almost immediately as she felt his cool lips swiftly brushed against her cheeks. His face lingered there for a moment, his breath lightly touching her face. "Don't forget your promise…" he spoke very quietly.

"Ichigo…" She said in barely a whisper.

The soft patter of raindrops began seeping into the dry earth.

'It's…starting to rain again…' they both thought sadly.

He finally pulled away, a visible fluster on his face as well. "See ya, Rukia…"

He walked over to where everyone was. Apparently no one had witnessed what had happened, as they were still talking happily amongst one another. He turned once more, and smiled at her. Her hair had started to become damp from the rain, her eyes misty.

'I will see you again, Rukia…and when I do, I will not hesitate anymore …'

With that, he turned to the portal, for what he hoped was only a small parting.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** My first ever attempt at a fanfiction. My love for IchixRuki shall take me where I have never been before lol. Hope you enjoy. I will perhaps update this later on to add more detail, but overall, chapter 1 to what I hope will be a semi-long series XD

* * *

**Until We Meet Again…**

_After the winter wars, much was in disrepair. Soul Society found itself in a dire need to reform its way and to restructure itself in order to get past the destruction the war had caused. Ichigo was asked to stay in soul society, as his powers were greatly needed to help with the rebuilding of the Gotei 13 division. _

_Ichigo was hesitant though, his family being his first priority. On seeing this, Soul Society granted Ichigo five years to live his life in the human world, and to decide in that time where his happiness lay. If after the five years, his life was of a shinigami, he would be welcomed to Soul Society. If not, he would be granted his life and remain as a human._

_With a farewell that seemed to strike pain in Ichigo's heart, he said farewell to his friends in Soul Society. But perhaps the greatest pain he felt was leaving the one who had changed his world…Kuchiki Rukia. With a parting smile that showed equal pain, they promised to meet each other again after the five years. _

* * *

_ Five years later…_

A slight breeze slipped through the curtains. The room was quiet, except for the few muffled snores of the young man beneath the sheets. He scratched his head slightly before turning to his back. The silence and peace was broken however as a large plushie flew out of nowhere, landing on his chest.

"ICHIGO", screamed Kon, attempting unsuccessfully to scratch Ichigo with his paws. The young man grunted, before grabbing Kon's head and chucking him across the room.

With a loud thud, Kon hit the closet hard, which infuriated the stuffed animal even more.

He ran for the bed once more, intent on giving more pain to Ichigo, but was instead met with a foot in the face as Ichigo pulled himself out of bed, his leg hitting Kon squarely in the mouth.

Ichigo pulled himself out of bed with a loud yawn, ignoring the angry mumbling of Kon. Scratching his ruffled hair, he looked out the window. Apart from the few clouds, the weather was perfect. He went to the window, and pulled away the curtains, allowing all of the sun rays to brighten the room. Looking down, he watched as a few children ran past the house towards school.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and pulled out his shirt from the closet. He fidgeted with the collar absentmindedly as he turned to look at the calendar. A large red circle was put around today's date. It was the date that he found himself yearning for every day. It had been a week ago that he had heard from Renji for the first time in five years. He could not explain the shock and surprise; even more so, when Renji said he and Rukia were planning on coming to meet Ichigo, and to stay there for a few days before returning to Soul Society.

When they were parting from Soul Society five years ago, it was made clear that they would not have a chance to meet each other. Rukia was going to go through intensive training in her sword fighting skills, while Renji wanted to work up to becoming captain. Perhaps it was knowing that it would be a long time before he saw them that cause Ichigo to feel a deep sense of loss when he returned to the human world.

But time seemed to slip by. Ichigo found himself immersed in his life; he needed to finish his school, and take care of his family. Yet even though with so much priority, he had never once forgotten the other world.

He had already known that his five years were up, and that he had to make the important decision on whether or not he wanted to spend his remaining life here or in Soul Society.

At that point in time, five years ago, he thought it was so simple that he wanted to remain as a shinigami. But everyone agreed that Ichigo needed more time to really make such an important choice. Although it would be a long time before he would be able to return to Soul Society, he in the end was happy he was able to have time to make his decision.

Living his five years here, he was able to protect his family, especially his sisters, and was able to watch them grow into more capable and independent individuals. And those five years gave him even more confident about what he really wanted and what his answer would be.

"Rukia…" the words slipped by barely a whisper, but Ichigo caught himself and cupped his mouth. It had been so long since he had said her name. Never for a moment had he forgotten her. So much time had gone by…but that name seemed to be imbedded into his heart, and for the first time, it was unable to remain silent. He sat down on his bed again, forgetting completely about his courses. Ever since he found out she was going to be coming, everything else seemed completely meaningless.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed in frustration. He quickly got up, dodging yet another unsuccessful attack by Kon, and continued to get ready.

Running out of his apartment, he quickly made his way to his classes. He knew he would not be able to concentrate at all, but it was the last day, and he had to complete all of his final exams. And sure enough, he found himself staring blankly at the paper in front of him. The raven haired girl continued to appear in his mind, and he had to hit himself a few times to get himself to concentrate, resulting in odd stares by the students around him. He attempted to rush through the questions, but finally gave up and turned in his work.

'Of all the days to decide and visit' he muttered, sitting with a look of utter defeat outside his class. Students passed by, talking, laughing, and completely oblivious to the world around them. Ichigo sighed and wished for a moment he could be like that. He knew he had done extremely horrible on his exam, but what could he do? He had not seen his friends for nearly five years; and today was the day he would get to meet them at last. He had let Ishida, Inoue, and Chad know of the arrival, and agreed to meet them in the afternoon near a small café so that they could go together. He continued to stare at his watch, and swore under his breath as the time seemed to go by at a snail pace. In the end, he got up in frustration and decided to just go ahead and arrive there early. He found himself walking very fast, even though knowing it would be several hours before he would meet the rest of them, and even longer before he would meet Renji and Rukia. Arriving at the café in less then 15 minutes, he took a seat outside.

He sat there for a moment, welcoming the cool breeze that swept by occasionally. He found himself beginning to relax slightly more. He bit his lip slowly, before putting his hand into his bag and pulling out a folded piece of paper. He opened it, furrowing his eyebrow. It was a picture of Chappy, the rabbit, that Rukia had drawn for Ichigo before he left. The distinguishing features were of course the orange spiky hair on the top and the scowl on the face, to make it look like Ichigo. He shook his head, still looking at it. Although he had always teased her about her drawings, he couldn't help but hold onto this one. It annoyed him to no end, but it was the only thing that he had of hers.

"Is that supposed to be you, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo nearly leapt out of his chair, losing half of his life in that one instant. He turned around quickly to see a smiling Inoue and a bemused Ishida looking over his shoulder.

"Inoue…don't…do…that…"

Inoue watched him in confusion. "Don't do what, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo gasped for breath. "Sneak…up…on…on me like…that…"

Inoue blushed slightly, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Ishida shook his head and looked at the paper Ichigo was holding. "Inoue-san, it is him. The scowl and the furrowed eyebrows, see…there's no way it can't be him."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him before stuffing the paper quickly into the bag, his cheeks flushed furiously as he crossed his arm. Inoue giggled slightly before taking a seat next to him. Ishida followed suit.

"Kuchiki-san...Renji-kun…are coming today…" Inoue said quietly, not looking at either of them. Her eyes lowered slightly, and turned to Ichigo. "It's very exciting isn't it? It's has been so long."

Ishida turned his eyes slowly at Inoue for a moment, before resuming his indifferent gaze at the people passing by.

Ichigo smiled lightly to Inoue and nodded. "Aye. It has been so long since we have seen them…"

Inoue nodded, lowering her eyes once more. "Kuchiki-san…drew that, didn't she?"

Ichigo looked over to Inoue, who was now looking at where he had stuffed the drawing.

His cheek flushed again, "yeah…"

Inoue smiled, and said no more. She turned to Ishida, who was now looking towards the street. They found Chad walking towards them, his towering figure being easily visible through the large crowd.

"Hey, Sado." Ichigo grinned, happy to break the awkward silence.

Or so he thought, as Chad's only reply seemed to be, "Hi."

Ichigo scratched his head, and sat back down. The atmosphere had become slightly uncomfortable. Something was definitely bothering Inoue and Ishida, as both stayed unusually silent throughout the wait. Inoue played with her locks of hair quietly as Ishida resumed staring out at the people passing. Chad…well, Chad was Chad. Ichigo sighed and looked at his clock. Two more hours…

Two hours…or more like an eternity, it seemed. But at last…the moment had arrived. Ichigo nearly leapt from his chair, his face flushing again at the amused expression from his friends. They smiled, causing him to get annoyed even more…but he didn't care. It was a moment he could not deny any longer that he had been waiting for. They made their way to the park, where they said they would meet each other. The park had gone quiet as the sun began to set. There were slight sounds of crickets and the leaves blowing from the wind. The lamp posts flickered on, bringing a light glow to the pathways.

They waited, with Ichigo walking back and forth impatiently. 'They said six…its ten past seven…where are they?!'

The other three watched him, and looked at one another with concern. "Kurosaki-kun, please sit down…they will be here soon."

Ichigo shook his head furiously. "When I see Rukia and Renji…I'm going to…I'm going to…"

"You're going to do what…Baka?"

Ichigo stopped dead in his track. That voice…

He slowly turned his head, unable to take a single breath.

There, within the shadows, stood two figures; one, a tall, muscular figure, who seemed to tower over the petite figure beside him.

The tall figure slipped out first. A grin spread across his face as he walked towards Ichigo.

"Yo…" Renji grinned.

Ichigo could not help but grin back. It had been five years, and yet, it seemed as if they had only seen each other yesterday.

His eyes moved again when the second figure stepped out of the shadows. Ichigo felt his heart stop for a moment. Her raven black hair swept gracefully with the cool summer's breeze, her eyes and ivory skin glowing with the moonlight. A smile was spread across her face as she walked slowly towards him.

_Rukia…_

_--- _

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 2

**Until We Meet Again Chapter 2**

* * *

"_Meeting__ you was fate,_

_Becoming your friend was a choice, _

_But falling in love with you _

_I had no control over."_

* * *

_A luminous glow of red hues filled the early morning sky. The Kuchiki household was completely silent, as the inhabitants continued their blissful slumber. Except for one. _

_A lone figure watched the sun slowly rising, clutching her robes tightly to fend off the cold air that sent shivers down her spine. Turning once more to make certain there was no one else awake, she crept out into the garden beyond the house. She followed the small stone path that twisted and turned throughout the garden, deep in thought. It was sometime before she began to hear sounds of life within the house. She sighed when she heard her name being called. Someone must have realized that she was no longer in her room, and there was now a search for her. _

_She turned slowly and headed back to the house, raising her eyes when she felt a presence in front of her. She bit her lip when she found her brother standing in front of her, a disapproving expression apparent on his face. He did not say a word, but she understood and quietly followed him back into the house. _

_After changing, she walked to the main room, where breakfast was set. Her brother was already seated, but his food remained untouched. _

"_Rukia…" he said quietly as she sat down. _

"_Yes…Nisama…" Rukia replied hesitantly. _

_She felt nervous as he continued to watch her silently. He finally shook his head with a sigh. "As we are all aware, today is the day that I have allowed you and Renji to return to Karakura in order to visit your friends. I trust that you will still keep your promise…"_

_Rukia looked down at the food that was placed in front of her. "I understand, Nisama. And I will keep my promise…" _

_Byakuya nodded and got up. _

_Rukia looked at him as he began walking out. "What about your breakfast, Nisama?" _

_Byakuya did not turn to look at her. "I am not hungry. I need to return to the division to give some more instructions to Renji before you both set off in the evening…" With that, he left the room, leaving Rukia in deep thought. _

_It had been nearly five years since she had returned to Karakura. She would be lying if she said she was not nervous about the entire thing. Though knowing she would finally be able to meet all of her friends was a comfort, meeting one other in particular made her nervous. Five years had passed, and much had changed for her. She wondered whether it was the same for him. He was a foolish one, always stubborn with his reasons and actions. Would he have taken this chance as a means to move on? Or would he be like her…still continuing to remember what had transpired between them before they parted. She rubbed her forehead, weary from not sleeping the entire night. She just couldn't…she knew her life was about to change tonight…and she wasn't sure if it would be for the better…_

_It was evening before she knew it. Renji was speaking silently with Byakuya, much to her annoyance. She crossed her arms, wondering what was being said. Finally, as the sun began to fade in the distance, Renji turned to her with a small smile. _

"_Ready, Rukia?" _

_She sighed and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be…lets go…" _

_They turned to the opened portal and entered. Their feet quietly landed on the soft blades of grass. The night air here was somewhat warmer then in Soul Society, but there was still the calming breeze that brought certain tranquility. They looked around the park, attempting to locate their friends. Rukia turned to Renji, who shrugged slightly and suggested they search for them. She nodded, frowning slightly as they walked, wondering if their friends had forgotten that they were to meet tonight. She was thinking of the different things she would argue about with Ichigo for forgetting, when the sound of his voice stopped her dead in her tracks. _

"_When I see Rukia and Renji…I'm going to…I'm going to…"_

_A nerve shot up on her forehead as she raised her brow as Renji watched her in amusement. She looked at him, a grin beginning to spread on her face as she turned to where Ichigo and everyone else stood._

"_You're going to do what…Baka?"_

_She saw as Ichigo turned suddenly towards her, and her breath failed her for that one moment. His amber eyes pierced her own amethyst eyes. True, he could not see her as she was blanketed in the shadows, but she was fully capable of seeing him…and it was at that one point that she remembered the moment they parted…and knew she was in big trouble. Renji went ahead, greeting everyone. Ichigo continued to watch her silently. She took a deep breath, and made her way out of the shadows. Inoue suddenly ran up to her, embracing her in a tight hug. Rukia stood shocked for a moment, before her emotions took a hold of her. She smiled, gently hugging her friend back. She parted, and turned her attention to the rest of her friends. Ichigo still remained apart from everyone, not saying anything. She sighed. She would have to be the first then. Turning slowly, she began walking to him._

………………………

Ichigo could feel his feet firmly cemented to the ground as she approached him, her smile growing wider. They stood facing one another, before Rukia folded her arms and raised her eyebrow. She started to get slightly irritated as he remained silently, no emotions playing across his face that could tell her how he was feeling. She was aware the eyes that were on them, but her attention was on him and getting him to say something.

"Hey…Ichigo…"

"Rukia…" Rukia stared as Ichigo flustered slightly, scratching the back of his head; a sure sign that he was nervous.

She bit her lip slightly to suppress the smile playing on her face. "Baka…I see you after so long, and you still have that expression that makes me want to kick you upside the head…"

For the first time, Ichigo smiled that cocky grin she knew so well.

"Well, why didn't you?" he asked, raising his brow.

A slight flush appeared on Rukia's cheek before punching him on his arm. Ichigo winced slightly, rubbing his arm and looking at her.

Rukia's light grin turned completely mischevious. "Weelll, I was trying to be nice, since we haven't seen each other in ages…but if you insist…"

"Brat…" he muttered, but still grinning.

"Baka…" she retorted, sticking her tongue at him.

They chuckled, and looked around when they heard a cough from behind. The rest of the group was watching them with amusement. After one last glance at Ichigo, Rukia turned and walked over to them. Ichigo continued to smile, as he watched her. She had not changed at all…and for this he was glad.

……….

The gang decided to stop by the nearest restaurant to get something to eat. The atmosphere was brimming with excitement as they all seated themselves, and immediately began talking about what they had been up to since the last time they met. Everyone was still continuing their studies in the local universities for their own respective career choices. Ishida and Ichigo were both concentrating in medicine, while Inoue told Rukia of her desire to be a teacher. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to hear that Rukia had been appointed vice captain to the 13th division a year ago, and even more when Renji gave the news that he had just been appointed as a captain for the 3rd division. The ceremony was to be held in a few days, and many congratulations were exchanged to him. Ichigo sat back and just enjoyed the feeling of having everyone there. It just seemed like old times, and the joy in everyone's voice brought a smile on his face. They had all grown slightly distance in the last few years after they had graduated from high school. Now it seemed as if nothing had happened; everyone was together as they once were.

His eyes lingered on Rukia and Inoue, who were in a deep private conversation. He frowned slightly when he saw that Inoue looked stressed, while Rukia's brows were furrowed slightly. Inoue's eyes finally lowered, and Rukia turned to her with a soft smile, and said quietly, "It's really alright, Inoue. It's not your fault…"

Ichigo looked around and noticed he was not the only one whose attention was on the two girls.

"What is the matter, you two?" Ishida asked with concern at seeing Inoue looking thoroughly depressed.

Both girls looked at each other hesitantly. Rukia sighed. "Er, well I was supposed to be staying with Inoue at her apartment that she shares with Tatsuki…but it seems that they had unexpected guests last night…"

Inoue shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Kuchiki-san…Tatsuki's family just surprised us and decided to stay a few days…and now the apartment is so packed with people…"

Rukia shook her head, her smile never leaving her face. "Really, Inoue, it's alright! Please don't give it another thought. I'll just stay elsewhere…"

Rukia's eyes met Ichigo, and her grin was enough for him to know what she was going to ask.

"Ichigo…would your family mind if I stay there? After all, you father did make me his third daughter…" she grinned wider, making Ichigo shake his head.

"If you want to stay there, you can ask. But I don't live there anymore just so you know…"

When Rukia looked at him questioningly, he sighed. "I moved out of the house because it was far away from the university. I live in an apartment nearby…"

Renji interrupted with a huge grin. "WHAT?! Ichigo, you have your own place! We can bunk there then!"

Both Ichigo and Rukia stared at him in shocked silence.

"Er, Renji, weren't you planning on staying at Urahara's this time?" Rukia asked him. "You said you had something to discuss with him…"

This time Inoue frowned. "But Urahara doesn't live here anymore…"

The entire table went quiet as both Renji and Rukia turned to her. Renji scratched his head, frustrated. "What do you mean, Urahara doesn't live here anymore?"

Inoue bit her lip. "Well, he mysteriously disappeared two years ago…no one knows where he went to. You didn't know?"

Rukia and Renji shook their head. "No we haven't. We haven't had any contact with anyone from here since you guys left…"

Renji leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "Well, this changes everything then. We have no choice but to stay with Ichigo…"

Ichigo raised his eyebrow. "What?! My apartment is too small to accommodate us all…"

Renji frowned. "But we have no where else to go! And besides, it's only for one day…and OUCH, Rukia!"

He winced slightly, rubbing his foot that apparently Rukia had stomped on.

"What do you mean, only for one day? You guys were supposed to be here for a week at least…" Ichigo muttered, looking at both of their flustered faces.

Rukia looked away. "Well…Nisama…changed his mind…with Renji's ceremony only a few days…and…other things…he wanted us to be back as soon as possible…so…is it ok, Ichigo, if we can stay with you? If not, don't worry, we'll find somewhere else…"

Ichigo stared at the two. For only one day?! How could they only stay for one day when they had been apart for nearly five years? For some reason, he was completely annoyed with Byakuya. And there were so many unanswered questions that these two were avoiding. He needed to know what was happening. After a moment's pause, he shook his head. "No, its ok…you guys can stay at my place."

Renji grinned, slapping Ichigo hard on the back. "Thanks!"

Ichigo looked over to Rukia, who was staring at him hesitantly. Both were unaware of another set of eyes watching them. Yet at the sight of Ishida's sudden movement, Inoue's eyes turned to him, only to find he refused to return her look.

………..

The group finally parted outside the restaurant. Inoue and Rukia seemed to be conversing in a low voice again, much to the annoyance of the others, who stood awkwardly in the cold, waiting for them to finish. Rukia hugged her friend and promised they would talk again before she left. After giving each of the guys an irritated look, she turned to Ichigo and Renji.

"Well, let's get going…I'm tired…"

Renji, Rukia, and Ichigo got into his car and slowly headed back to his place. Renji and Rukia seemed to almost fall asleep immediately. Ichigo could not help but turn his eyes to the rear view mirror, where he could catch a glimpse of Rukia. She had looked very tired when they had met, but now she was sleeping very peacefully in his backseat. He sighed. This was going to be a long night…

* * *

_To be continued…_

A big thank you to everyone who took the time to read. I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter, Ichigo must contend with Rukia, Renji, and a very overexcited Kon. Will he be able to last the night? Stay tuned...


	4. Chapter 3

**Until We Meet Again Chapter 3**

* * *

_After the winter wars, much was in disrepair. Soul Society found itself in a dire need to reform its way and to restructure itself in order to get past the destruction the war had caused. Ichigo was asked to stay in soul society, as his powers were greatly needed to help with the rebuilding of the Gotei 13 division. _

_Ichigo was hesitant though, his family being his first priority. On seeing this, Soul Society granted Ichigo five years to live his life in the human world, and to decide in that time where his happiness lay. If after the five years, his life was of a shinigami, he would be welcomed to Soul Society. If not, he would be granted his life and remain as a human._

_With a farewell that seemed to strike pain in Ichigo's heart, he said goodbye to his friends in Soul Society. But perhaps the greatest pain he felt was leaving the one who had changed his world…Kuchiki Rukia. With a parting smile that showed equal pain, they promised to meet each other again after the five years had passed._

* * *

_The heart has its reasons which reason knows not of - Blaise Pascal_

"This is it." Ichigo muttered as he opened the door to his apartment, tossing his keys aimlessly at the side table near the door. Renji and Rukia followed curiously from behind, poking their heads in first before entering. Ichigo shrugged off his coat and made his way to close the main door, when the bedroom door creaked open cautiously. Before they knew it, a plushie was flying through the air at Rukia.

"Nnnneeeeee-ssaannnn!" Kon sobbed, only to be met with the heel of Rukia's shoe. He fell lightly on the floor, continuing to sob. "So long since we have seen each other, and yet you still greet me as so. It's true, you are my Nee-san!! I'm so…I'm so hhaappyy…"

Rukia raised her brow at him, a smile threatening her feature as Ichigo grumbled behind her.

"I didn't think a day would come where I would actually say I missed you too, Kon…but I guess I will make an exception today."

Kon's eyes lit up at this. "Oh, Nee-san! Hearing your beautiful voice and that confession is well worth the torture I have gone through living with him all this time," he sniffed, pointing his paw dismissively at Ichigo.

Ichigo snarled and tried to grab Kon, missing him by inches as the plushie made a mad dash across the living room. Rukia watched the two as Renji wandered around the apartment. Ichigo finally caught Kon and chucked him into the bedroom, making certain to shut the door as the plushie cursed inside.

"Why do I always get stuck with him?" he muttered angrily.

He turned to see Rukia and Renji still surveying his apartment with interest. Scratching his head, he grumbled quietly, "It's nothing, really. But, well, it's something, right?"

Renji snorted as Rukia turned to face Ichigo. "It's lovely, Ichigo."

Renji rolled his eyes and grabbed the small bag he had brought. "Well, you two can continue talking. I'm going to take a bath before I go to sleep."

After the bathroom door slammed shut, Ichigo motioned Rukia to follow him. "You will be staying in my room. Renji and I will stay out here."

Rukia stared at his back as he opened his bedroom door, quickly dodging a surprise attack from a miffed Kon.

"Are you sure, Ichigo?" Rukia asked hesitantly as she too tilted her head to avoid Kon flying past them.

Ichigo nodded, but did not look at her as he turned on the light. Rukia walked in, and she could not help but smile. The room looked exactly like his old room at his house. There wasn't much furniture other then a bed near a large window and a small desk to the side. Probably the only other thing that might have been new was a small bookshelf that was laden with books. She walked around, surveying it with interest. Ichigo sighed and scratched his head again. He hated how he did that because Rukia knew very well he always did when he got nervous. He forced his hand back to his side as she turned her attention to the other side of the room.

Rukia's eyes fell upon a beautiful painting that was on the wall. It seemed to be the only thing that he had adorned his otherwise bland cream walls with. Her eyes then turned to the small desk to the side of his room, and noticed a large frame with two very familiar figures. She quickly picked up the frame, surveying the people closely, her eyes widening. There were two girls who looked to be Ichigo's age when Rukia had first met him. One had short black hair and was clad in a simple t-shirt and jeans, while the other had long orange hair that extended to her waist, wearing a cute yellow dress.

"Ichigo?"

She turned to see him still standing by the door, leaning against the frame with an amused smile.

"Is this…Is this Karin and Yuzu?" Rukia asked quietly, still shocked as she looked back at the picture frame.

She heard him chuckle softly and walk towards her. "Yeah, that's them. They just started high school."

Rukia shook her head in disbelief. "I…I can't believe they have grown so much. I barely recognized them."

Her eyes slightly shifted to look at him. She had not noticed it earlier with so much going on, but Ichigo too had changed quite a bit. He had grown slightly taller, if that was even possible, and she pouted knowing she was still the same height. At least he didn't tease her about it, though he was probably waiting for a key opportunity to do it. His hair had grown slightly as well and was rowdier then ever. Yet, it seemed to suit him quite nicely. Her cheeks flushed as she turned quickly back to the picture, not liking where her thoughts were taking her.

Ichigo watched her carefully as she traced her fingers gently across the cool glass. He smiled inwardly when he noticed she was the same petite shinigami that he had left all those years ago. Her hair was slightly longer though. But everything else about her was exactly how he had remembered her. As she continued to examine the picture and speaking of things Ichigo seemed to be completely oblivious too, his heart quivered as a delicate strand of hair fell on her face. He fought the urge to reach out and move it, and instead, chuckled as she blew it off with one puff.

He soon snapped out of his thoughts when her attention reverted back to him. She bit her lip hesitantly, as she looked down at the portrait. "Ichigo? Do you think that we can go see them tomorrow before I leave? I have missed them and never even got a chance to thank them for everything the last time I was here."

She was startled to see him staring at her so closely. He stood quiet for a moment, before shrugging. "Yeah. I already had told them that you were coming, and they had insisted that you stay with them for a few days. Though since you decided you will be going tomorrow…"

He broke off, and Rukia swallowed with difficulty. "I…I'm sorry, Ichigo. I didn't know. Maybe next-" She stopped suddenly and turned.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked hesitantly as he moved towards her.

"I love this artwork." She suddenly turned and walked towards the painting on the wall. "Where did you get it from?"

"It was a gift from someone. She made it for me last year."

Rukia blinked and turned to him. "It's lovely. She is very talented."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah she is. She's really something else."

Rukia nodded, finding it strange how words were beginning to become more difficult for her.

For some reason, she felt a strange twinge of pain in her heart as she looked back at the painting. Was it that person she had seen before? It probably had been. After all, Ichigo had never shown interest in any other girl. But that one person was perhaps an exception.

"Um…" She thought frantically of what to say next, the awkward silence becoming more burdensome with each passing moment. What could she possibly say at this point?

She suddenly turned around so fast that Ichigo flew back a few steps.

"Hey! That does remind me," she said thoughtfully, touching her chin with her two middle fingers. She frowned slightly and looked around the room. "Where is that drawing I gave you?"

Ichigo blinked a few times. His eyes shifted momentarily at his backpack, and then at Rukia. A small mischievous grin spread across his face and he shrugged, putting his hands in his pocket and staying silent.

Rukia stared at him with her eyes narrowing dangerously close.

'_I'm going to die for this, but hell, its hilarious to see her like this_…' he mused.

She crossed her arm, and blew the few strands of hair in front of her face away. "You threw it away, didn't you?! I told you if you didn't want it, then to give it back!" she yelled.

Ichigo still continued to grin, and it took every ounce of self control Rukia had to not kick him upside the head. "I didn't say I threw it away. I just _conveniently_ misplaced it, that all. Besides, you already know what I think of your drawings."

He winced at the sudden pain in his abdomen as Rukia's foot made contact. She took the pillow and stared at him angrily. "There is nothing wrong with my drawings and no one but you think that! Now why is that, Ichigo?!"

Ichigo still continued to grin, trying to ignore the pain. "Because everyone else is just being nice?"

A small twitch appeared on her forehead before the pillow hurtled its way towards Ichigo's head. He dodged, chuckling lightly for a moment before he had to dodge again, this time ducking the trash can. His eyes bulged from their socket as he saw Rukia trying to find the closest object she could lift to throw at him, which unfortunately for him was a stapler.

"Oye, Rukia?! Are you insane?!" he yelled as she grabbed it and threw it at him.

"You!" she growled, grabbing another pillow from his bed. "JERK!"

She _had _gone insane.

"You…put…someone else's picture on your wall…but just…dump mine…like it's…like it's…" she stopped, realizing what she was saying.

When did she ever care about such things?

Apparently, Ichigo was thinking the same thing as he stared at her in surprise. "Rukia?" He walked towards her, but she shook her head and moved away. She turned to see that she had knocked over his backpack in her fit, spilling its contents on the floor and sighed.

"Nothing, Ichigo, just drop it," she muttered and walked over to the mess. Ichigo felt himself stiffen slightly as she began picking up the things and putting them back.

"Oye! Don't worry about those, I'll get them," he said quickly, running to make his way towards her.

Rukia sighed again in irritation. "I got it. It's not that big of a-"

She stopped, and Ichigo was horrified by what was in her hands. The pages of the book were open, and Rukia was staring wide eyed at the contents.

"Ichigo," A mischievous grin played across her face. "I didn't know you started drawing too."

Ichigo groaned as she giggled furiously. He made to swipe the book away from her, but the little midget was too quick for him. "Wait! These are so cute! But what is that blob there?"

Ichigo growled and lunged again at her, causing her to giggle even more and use that sweet simpering tone he hated so much. "Tsk, Kurosaki-kun, who was the one teasing me about my drawings just now, hm?"

"Rukia…" he muttered dangerously as Rukia stuck her tongue at him. She dodged another attempt from him to grab the book when a few sheets of paper that were stuck in between the drawings fell out. Rukia looked down curiously at the folded pieces of paper, and leaned down to grab them. She gasped when she felt Ichigo grab her wrist inches from the paper. She looked up, seeing Ichigo staring at her with his face completely flushed.

"Um, what the hell just happened here?"

Both turned quickly to see Renji standing at the entrance to the bathroom, looking around at the demolished room. He sighed. "I leave you for a few minutes and you guys are already back to your old selves." His attention turned to them, and a grin appeared on his face at their close proximity. "Amongst other things, I see."

Rukia and Ichigo both looked at each other and quickly moved away. Renji chuckled slightly before heading towards the door. "I'm tired. Going to head for bed."

Rukia quietly followed Renji, looking back once to see Ichigo quickly grabbing the contents and stuffing it into his bag.

x.X.x

"Why?! Why?! Whhhyyy?!"

Ichigo muttered curses as the stuffed toy continued to whine about having to sleep outside with him and Renji.

"It isn't a picnic for us either, Kon! But you are staying out here, got it?!"

Kon screamed in frustration before swiping his soft paws on Ichigo's legs. "I want to stay with Nee-san, not you two!"

Ichigo growled as he looked down. "You'll be sleeping outside if you don't stop that!"

Kon stopped immediately and sat down, crossing his arms with an angry expression.

Rukia sat on the couch, watching in amusement as Renji and Ichigo each set up their own sheets, fighting for the most space in the small living room.

Once they had managed to set everything up, both fell onto their beds, exhausted. Rukia smiled and leaned slightly to see the two. "Aw, you guys can't sleep right now!"

Renji opened his eyes and looked at Rukia. "Weren't you tired earlier, Rukia?"

She nodded. "I was, but now I'm not. Come on! Wake up, both of you!"

Ichigo groaned and buried his face in his pillow. "Rukia, we're tired. Can't we talk in the morning?"

Rukia pouted, sniffling a little.

_Oh great, here she goes. Don't look up, don't look up…_

Another sniff could be heard followed by a low sob.

He looked up.

Rukia's pout intensified as she grabbed a handkerchief out of thin air and began wiping her rather dry eyes.

x.X.x

Ichigo could feel his head slowly descend to the right as he fought to stay awake. The TV was on, and he had to endure on of the dullest movies ever. Renji was in no better condition, with one eye closed and the other dangerously close to it. Only Rukia seemed to be wide awake, staring at the screen with her eyes and mouth wide open. Kon was already snoring softly beside Rukia.

"Ichigo, did you see that?!" she asked eagerly, poking him. His head jerked up and he sighed. "Yeah…" He stifled a yawn before turning his eyes slowly to look at her. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, a pillow resting gently on her lap. Her hair was tied up, which Ichigo couldn't help but think was a very cute look for her, though he made a mental note never to let her know that. Just the thought of it was causing his cheeks to flush.

He leaned back against the couch, a slight frown on his face. Why was it so awkward being around her now? Fighting over the drawing was the first time it felt like they were back to their old selves. But for the most part, he had to admit that there was a change in the way they were around one another. She seemed more quiet around him, and truth be told, he didn't blame her. Perhaps he shouldn't have been so forward with her back then. But just the thought of not seeing her for so many years had really gotten to him to the point that he could not do anything but let her know how he felt about her before he left.

It was easier back then since he felt that he would use this time of separation to grow himself, and finally be able to tell her how he really felt about her when they met again. Yet his traitorous self got completely tongue tied the moment he saw her after all these years. He felt like he was that awkward teenager again.

When the movie had finally ended, and Rukia had finally relented to not keeping them up any longer, she made her way to the bedroom.

Ichigo shifted his comforter slightly as he slid between the cold sheets. Renji stifled a loud yawn next to him as he grumbled under his own blanket.

"Oye, Renji…"

"Hm?"

Ichigo scratched his head slightly before his face creased into a frown. "Is…something going on? For some reason, I just feel like you guys are keeping something from me. Did something happen after we left?"

Renji sighed. "A lot has been going on since you left. I guess we got more damage then we had first thought. It took a long time for the repairs to be completed. Even now, we are still in the process of rebuilding several areas that had been completely destroyed," he added bitterly.

Ichigo turned his head curiously from the ceiling to the dark silhouette of Renji's face.

There was a frustrated sigh before he resumed. "Something happened. We don't know what that made it almost impossible to go safely back and forth between here and Soul Society. We only did so when it was absolutely necessary, and even that was scarce. Since even the hollows have gotten less frequent, the urgency to come here was not as high as it used to be. The resident shinigami stayed here for most of these five years. I think he had nearly gone mad once the portal was fixed," he added with an amused tone in his voice.

There was a moment's pause. "We tried several times to come and see you. But, yeah, it just wasn't safe to come, not that it stopped Rukia from trying," he chuckled. "We had to hold her down a couple of times, which was extremely difficult mind you, before she finally agreed to stay in Soul Society until the problem was fixed."

Ichigo smiled softly. He could just imagine her having an argument with the others over having her way. He had many fights with her before, and knew it was a lost cause. Yet a thought had been nagging him for some time now. If she was so eager to come, why was she wishing to return so quickly? He frowned slightly, and shifted to his side.

"Renji, is there any other reason as to why you guys have to leave tomorrow? I only talked to you a few days ago, and you had told me that you were planning on staying a couple of days. But now, both of you are leaving tomorrow."

There was a short pause as he saw Renji's shadow shift uncomfortably. "Aye. Just don't tell Rukia that I told you, ok?"

Ichigo nodded.

Renji sighed. "Well, to be honest, I was surprised that we were even given one day to come here. It was under Kuchiki taichou's orders…"

Ichigo frowned again. "Byakuya?"

"Taichou…" Renji added irritably. "Yes. Well, there was a reason. You see, a year ago, he had some unexpected visitors. To be more frank, some of the elders from the branches of the Kuchiki clan. When taichou learned of their arrival, he suddenly gave permission to Rukia to come here. She did, but she returned abruptly that very same day."

Ichigo jerked his head up. "Wait, what?!"

Ichigo's head was feeling extremely heavy from sleep, but the news he had just learned woke him up immediately. "Rukia came to Karakura a year ago?"

Renji nodded, and suddenly looked strangely at Ichigo. "Yeah, she did. She was quite excited by it as well. But, she came back the very same day. When I had asked her why, she didn't say anything. You know her, its better not to pursue such questioning."

Ichigo wrapped his arms around his legs, curling up as he frowned. Rukia had been here a year ago? Why had she not said anything? Why had she not come to see him? His thoughts were drowned yet again as Renji resumed. "Anyways, what happened after was kept within the walls of the Kuchiki household. But just a week ago, the elders returned again. This time, there were others with them. Taichou wouldn't reveal who, though from the look of it, they were a noble family as well. He again wanted Rukia to leave for a few days while they stayed. She didn't wish it, but in the end complied with his wishes. We were going to stay for only a few days, but suddenly Taichou himself changed it to just one day. He never did explain why; only Rukia and he know."

Ichigo scratched his head, confused at the new turn of events. "So, you don't know why they came so suddenly?" Renji shook his head. "I don't know. But one thing was sure, Taichou did not want Rukia there when they got there. I'm guessing it's because, well, the elders aren't particularly fond of her since she isn't of 'noble blood'. They have always ignored her during their visits, acting as if she was not even there. This did seem to cause quite a few arguments between them and Taichou."

Ichigo furrowed his brow. He felt anger welling up inside him at hearing this. How could her own clan treat her like this? Just because she was not born a Kuchiki?

Just then they heard a slight shuffle in the bedroom and went silent. They listened for a few minutes, but heard no other sound. Renji shifted to the other side, his back towards Ichigo. "Anyways, that's the reason we are here. And now if you please, I'm going to sleep." Ichigo narrowed his eyes, furious that Renji was not telling him anything else. He was about to argue, but Renji had already started snoring loudly.

Giving up, Ichigo laid his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. So much had happened, and he only heard all of it now. Rukia had come to Karakura to see him a year ago. But why hadn't he seen her? Why did she return that very same day? Also, from what Renji told him, why had she been hesitant about coming back again now? It seems had it not been due to Byakuya's insistence, she would not have come at all. This thought scared him. He had waited so long for this day. But what had happened to cause Rukia to not want to see him anymore?

x.X.x

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he tried his best to drown out Renji's snores and Kon's muttering, but found it useless. How was he supposed to sleep like this? He grumbled and tossed and turned a few more minutes before growling in frustration. He laid down on his back and stared at the ceiling again. There was a small tinge of moonlight coming through the curtains, illuminating the living room. His ears perked at the sound of the door creaking open. He quickly closed his eyes, and could hear small footsteps pacing through the room. They stopped for a second in front of him, before carefully moving to the main door. He held his breath as the door opened very gently, and closed. His eyes shot open and looked to see his bedroom door was wide open.

"Rukia…" he whispered, looking at the clock. It was nearly three in the morning. He quickly scrambled up, rubbing his sore neck before walking towards the main entrance door. 'What is she doing up?' he thought with irritation as he opened the door quietly.

There she was, standing by the railing, still unaware of his presence. He felt his breath stop for a moment. She looked…stunning. The moonlight brought such a glow to her creamy skin; the cool breeze seemed to caress her hair. Her eyes were closed, and a feeling of peace seemed to be etched on her features. Her eyes slowly opened when Ichigo approached her. She turned slowly to him, her brows slowly furrowing.

"What are you doing up?" she asked.

Ichigo chuckled. "I should be asking you the same question…"

Rukia sighed and turned her attention towards the empty street. "I…I couldn't sleep."

"Because of what you heard?"

Rukia turned to him sharply, her eyes wide with surprise. "What do you-"

Ichigo snorted. "You don't think I heard you behind the door?"

Rukia bit her lip, her eyes downcast as she looked away from him again. There was silence between the two as Ichigo waited for her to say something.

"I wonder if I'll ever really feel like I belong as a Kuchiki," she said quietly. She wrapped her arms around herself, fending off the cold. "It just seems I'm always causing Nisama some problem…"

She leaned gently towards the railing, resting herself on her elbows as she looked up.

"So that is why he agreed to let me come here," she said, more to herself then to Ichigo. She cupped her face in her hands, with a slight pout. "No matter what, I will always seem to be a burden on him."

She was startled when she heard Ichigo's quiet, yet angered response. "Stop that, Rukia."

Rukia turned to Ichigo, startled at his piercing gaze. His eyebrows were furrowed and he had his usual frown on his face. He walked a few steps towards her, stopping when she instinctively took a few steps back herself. He stared at her for a few moments, reveling in her deep azure eyes. There was so much hidden within them; hesitation, curiosity, and fear. They continued to gaze at one another until Ichigo took a deep breath, and smiled softly at her. "You were never a burden on anyone, Rukia. You have never been, and you will never be, got it?"

He suddenly lifted his hand, pushing a few strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face. She shivered slightly under his touch, and her eyes widened as his hand moved from her hair to her cheek, cupping it gently in his hand. She could feel his breath tickling her as his face drew closer. She shook her head quickly, moving back and away from his touch. Ichigo was startled to see her reaction and watched her as she breathed heavily, looking away from him.

"Rukia?"

She swallowed with difficulty, shaking her head again. "I'm…I'm sorry, Ichigo. I'm very tired. I need some sleep."

He nodded, slightly hurt at her rejection, yet knowing that perhaps it was still too soon. He moved aside, running his fingers through his hair as he turned to follow her inside.

He found Rukia standing by the door, grumbling under her breath as she surveyed her surroundings. There were blankets, playing cards, and videos thrown everywhere and no sight of Renji, who was buried somewhere there. She sighed and moved towards the first pile of blankets. She edged carefully around it, hoping Renji or any of his body parts were not in there. She was relieved when she made it past safely, as Ichigo followed suit.

They had gotten through most of the tangled mess, and Rukia became more confident with her footing. She suddenly stopped when she heard a slight moan, and her foot seemed to get caught in a hard object beneath her. Before she knew it, she found herself losing her balance and tumbling down, before a pair of hands quickly grabbed her by the waist. She sucked in her breath as she tried to gain her balance, while being held up protectively by Ichigo. For a moment, they just stood there as Rukia attempted to catch her breath. After a moment of silence, they could hear Renji's snoring start again, and looked down to see Rukia had nearly tripped over his leg. She cursed lowly and kicked it, earning a small grunt from Renji before his snoring resumed again.

She then noticed that Ichigo's arms were still wrapped tightly around her, and took a sharp intake of breath. He was holding her protectively towards him, his face almost buried in her soft hair. "Ichigo…" she said quietly.

A short pause ensued before he mumbled, "Yeah?"

"Um, I think I'm ok now. You can let go."

Ichigo's arms quickly recoiled from her waist and she headed for the bedroom.

"Thanks," she muttered before shutting it.

Ichigo let out a deep breath before turning with slight irritation at the red head that he _knew_ had been pretending to sleep for all this time. Sure enough, there was a small smirk playing across the irritating fool's face. Ichigo growled and kicked Renji as hard as he could, angered at how this made Renji chuckle harder.

x.X.x

Rukia leaned against the door, breathing heavily. She slowly slid down and buried her face in her knees. What was happening to her? She felt she could control this before she had left for Soul Society. But now being with him, being so close to him, she felt herself losing whatever will power she had. But she knew she couldn't. She knew she had to stay strong and not let her emotions get the best of her again. She had realized that they were from very different worlds. Though Ichigo associated himself more as a shinigami when he received his powers, she felt for the first time after seeing him a year ago that perhaps he did have a chance in the real world. She didn't want to come back. She did not want to force him to choose what he wanted to do with the remainder of his life. He had the right to live his life out the way he should have before she entered it.

She had shown her vulnerable side that day that Ichigo was leaving Soul Society, knowing she shouldn't have. She shivered slightly, still feeling his lips softly brush her cheeks.

Her fingers gently touched her cheek. He had held it so tenderly just a moment ago.

A sound came from the darkened room which made her jump up.

"Nee-san?" a voice squeaked from under the bed.

"Kon?" Rukia blinked a few times, before seeing the plushie poke his head out from under the bed. "What are you doing here?"

Kon quickly got out of the bed, dusting himself off. "I couldn't sleep with those two! Not when my dear Nee-san is here!"

Rukia shook her head in irritation and got up. "I'm very tired, Kon. I just don't have time to deal with this. Go outside before Ichigo finds out where you went."

Kon crossed his arm and sat stubbornly on the floor. "Come now, Nnnneeee-san. I promise to sleep in the closet. I just can't stand the irritating snoring. I promise to be good."

Rukia looked over to him, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. She sighed in frustration, too tired to fight. "Fine, but if I catch you anywhere near my bed, Ichigo isn't the only thing you will be have to worry about."

Kon swallowed with difficulty and quickly made his way to the closet. Rukia gently pushed aside the blankets that she had been using. A soft thud from behind made her turn, and she was startled to see the backpack that she had knocked over earlier on the ground. It appeared Ichigo had thrown it into the closet, only to be tossed back out again by Kon.

She bit her lip hesitantly and took a few steps toward it. She knew Ichigo didn't want her to look at the book, but her curiosity was aroused by the contents. She grabbed the backpack and opened the zipper as quietly as she could. She stopped for a second, and was relieved to hear Ichigo's soft snores.

She pulled out the book, flipping through the first pages. Kon sat in the closet, watching her curiously. "That's Ichigo's. He always keeps it with him. Tch, I can draw so much better then him."

Rukia smiled at the first few pages. There were scribbles all over the pages, but overall, his art was not so bad at all.

Kon quietly crept out of the closet and approached her, watching her flip through the remaining pages, as if searching for something.

"I can't believe he drew all these," she muttered, stopping midway.

Kon nodded. "Yeah, he decided to take an art class one term. I have no idea why."

"Is that where he met her?" she asked quietly, earning a curious look from him. She shifted her head to the painting that was hanging on his wall.

Kon followed her glance, understanding where this was going. He hesitated slightly, and nodded. "Yeah, he did." She nodded, and turned back to the book.

"But you know something, Nee-san…"

Rukia looked up at him, who was watching her carefully.

"She doesn't mean anything to him other then a friend."

Rukia blinked a few times, and could sense her face flush slightly under his stare. Since when did Kon ever get intuitive about such things?!

She shook her head, glad that there wasn't much light in the room for him to see her cheeks red. "I didn't mean it like that," she muttered quietly before turning another page. She noticed the same piece of paper that had fallen out earlier wedged between the pages in the middle. She curiously pulled it out, noting that it was thick, and consisted of more then a few pages. She opened it, and felt her breath stop. It was her drawings. Not just the one she had given to Ichigo, but several others she had drawn while she was staying with him. In between the pages was a small picture. A picture of Ichigo and her that was taken unexpectedly by Rangiku at a feast that had been set up after the war was over, and that had mysteriously gone missing. She held the picture with her trembling fingers. They were bickering as usual in there, with the others looking on in horror.

"He never forgot you, you know. Not once…"

Rukia closed her eyes, before quickly placing everything back into the backpack. Silently, she got up and put the back pack into the closet, and walked to the edge of the bed. She gently sat down on the floor, her head resting against the soft bed.

'_What am I going to do?_'

She looked out the window. No matter how loudly her heart might shout otherwise, it was already too late. She had gotten the answer she needed. Tomorrow, she would speak to Renji about her decision regarding Ichigo.

As she stared out at the cold moonlight, a single tear trickled down her face…

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: A thousand apologies for this being so late. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read it, and for everyone who has left such awesome comments for me for previous chapters. _

_A special thank you and love to my dear friend and beta, Avalonia, who is perhaps the only reason why this chapter saw the light of day. sniff _


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Until We Meet Again**

* * *

"_Deep in my heart I'm concealing things that I'm __longing__ to say. Scared to confess what I'm feeling - frightened you'll slip away."_

_- 'You Must Love Me', Madonna._

* * *

Byakuya stared vacantly at the woman in front of him. She surveyed him critically, expecting an answer to a question which he had no interest in answering.

Her lips began to curl into a sneer as he turned his gaze to the side.

"I will ask once more, Byakuya. Why did you allow that girl to leave without my knowledge or permission?"

After receiving nothing more then silence again, she felt her patience lessening. "You realize her status, do you not? Even though I will never condone your past actions regarding her and her sister, she has still been entitled the name Kuchiki due to your stubbornness. A decision that even today we must live with."

She did not wait this time for his reply, knowing fully well he would not say a word. "When will be returning?"

For the first time since he entered her room, he looked at her. "This evening..."

The woman nodded as Byakuya bowed silently before getting up.

"Byakuya..."

The young man stopped as he looked at her wearily. Her cold eyes penetrated into his as she delicately put the cup down. "Do not try and stop what has been already set in motion. This is our last chance to return the dignity that you once took away so foolishly from us by marrying that commoner from the streets. Do not dishonor the name Kuchiki again."

"Yes...Obasan."

x.X.x

Ichigo hesitated for a moment outside his room before lightly tapping his knuckles against the door. He pressed his ears to the door, trying to discern any sounds or movements within. However after a moment of nothing but silence, his hands slowly touched the doorknob as he opened the door quietly. His face immediately turned into a frown when he found Rukia on the floor, leaning against the bed for support as she slept rather fitfully. The window was opened, and a cold breeze was filtering through the room, causing the petite shinigami to curl up slightly. She was still in her half sleeve dress from last night and had no blanket to stave away the cold air.

He sighed softly before walking over to her. "Rukia?"

Just from her features he could tell that she had not slept well at all last night. Her eyes were baggy and she had an evident look of unrest. She muttered something when he had called her name and curled up even more, a slight shiver running through her spine.

He knelt down next to her and slowly wrapped his arms around her knees and back, pulling her up. She made a slight movement before sighing deeply and pulling herself into his embrace. He waited until she was completely asleep again before turning to the bed beside them.

_'She is still as light as a feather' _he mused, putting her down softly on the bed. Though he would never let her know. He grabbed the blanket from the edge of the bed and placed it on top of her. He closed the window and grabbed another blanket from his closet, wrapping her tiny body with it. For a moment, he just stood there, reveling at her as she softly nuzzled her face under the blanket. She let out another sigh before finally appearing as if she was sleeping peacefully. A single strand of hair that had been bothering her last night once more fell delicately in front of her. Ichigo smirked lightly as she wiggled her nose at the offending strand. He lifted his hand and gently pushed the strand of hair away. He finally pulled himself up when he heard a faint stirring in the closet.

He made his way over there and found Kon snoring lightly on top of some extra blankets that were kept there for guests. Ichigo's eyebrows knitted in irritation as he grabbed a clean shirt and pants, and made his way to the bathroom.

x.X.x

Rukia opened her eyes wearily, sleep still evident within her deep lavender orbs. She stifled a yawn as her eyes peaked out of the warm blanket that she had been sheltered under. She blinked a few times before realizing where she was. Her eyes widened when she realized she was in Ichigo's bed; she didn't even remember getting up from the floor last night. Yet all thoughts of how she ended up in the bed were put to the side when she sensed a familiar scent. Ichigo. It was overwhelming and seemed to be weaved into every thread of the blanket that was now covering her. She closed her eyes, a pained expression on her face. Unknowingly she clutched the blanket and brought it closer to her. Why was this harder then she had ever expected it to be.

She could hear the distant sound of the shower as she pulled herself up. Her body was still aching from sleeping on the floor the entire night. She rubbed her sleepy eyes before pushing the blanket off herself and made her way outside.

Renji was sitting at the table, eating his breakfast rather quickly. Rukia blinked in surprise when she noticed he was wearing his shinigami clothing. His eyes met hers as she walked over to him, and he knew from her expression that his suspicion was correct. She had overheard his conversation with Ichigo last night.

He sighed wearily as he put his rice bowl down, wishing for the first time that Ichigo would get out quickly to stop the storm that was brewing in front of him. He frowned slightly as he observed her sitting across from him. Her hair was completely mussed, and she looked as if she hadn't slept in days.

She suddenly turned to him, her eyebrow raised. Smiling at her inquiring stare, he leaned back slightly. "I got called from Taichou early this morning. He needs me to handle some paper work since he seems to be very busy with other matters. Don't worry, you don't have to go right now. Ichigo told me you guys were going to go see his family today. I'll come pick you up later today. Just give me a call whenever you are ready…"

Rukia remained silent as her eyes looked downward. "Maybe I can just come with you. I think its best we go now."

Renji set his cup down and sighed deeply.

"You know, I don't understand why you just don't tell him," he said quietly, concerned etched on his face as she looked at him irritably.

"Don't start this again, Renji," she muttered, placing her head on the table as she fought to stay awake. When she did not receive a reply from him, she peeked to see him giving her a scrutinizing look. She pouted slightly, "I will. It's just...more complicated then I thought."

There was a moment of silence before she looked at him again, her eyes filled with the same fire he had seen when she had entered the room.

"Why did you tell him?" she asked quietly.

Renji blinked a few moments before realizing what she was talking about. "Oh, that. Well he asked, so, uh, I thought it would be best to let him in on what has been going on."

He shifted uncomfortably as he saw Rukia's cheeks flush and knew he was going to hear an earful.

"You couldn't lie?" she asked quietly, yet each word filled with anger. She suddenly looked at him dangerously. "Why did you have to tell him that I came here before?!"

Renji sighed and massaged his forehead. He was becoming weary of all of this. "Look, Rukia, you never told me what happened then so I didn't think much of it, ok? He asked, I blurted it out by accident. Besides, did he ask you about it or something?"

Rukia groaned in frustration. "That is not the point, Renji! No, he didn't ask me, but you know very well he will when the time comes! If I wanted him to know I was here, I would have told him myself. What am I going to tell him when he finally does ask?!"

"Maybe the truth?" Renji said irritably. He was definitely too weary of all this. "Damnit, Rukia, that guy is crazy about you and has been waiting for you all this time! You come here and then just leave without him ever finding out. You won't even tell me what happened when I asked. How am I supposed to know?"

Rukia could feel a headache beginning close to her temple. She took a few moments to calm herself down as she massaged it gently. Renji remained silent, to which she was thankful for. She wouldn't know what she would say if he continued.

"Look, Renji. Just please, don't tell him anything else, okay? I just want this day to be over and for me to just return to Soul Society." She sighed in frustration and set her head against the cool table. "Everything is such a mess. I don't even know what is right anymore..." she muttered to herself.

She heard him exhale softly and set the cup down. "You know, I don't know what has been going on, but I just want you to remember, Rukia, to think long and hard today on what you want. This is your last chance and there is no going back once you return."

"I've already made my decision, Renji, I'm returning to Soul Society…without Ichigo." she muttered.

Renji stopped midway as he was getting up, watching her closely.

Rukia averted her eyes from him and continued to stare at the table again. "I've been thinking. Perhaps it's just best if we allow Ichigo to stay here. His family and friends are here. There is nothing in Soul Society for him that would make it worth him leaving everything behind."

Renji snorted as he got up and put the empty plate in the sink. "What about you?"

She crossed her arm, and glared at him as he turned towards her. "You know the answer to that, Renji. I'm glad that at least some things didn't escape that big mouth of yours."

A small twitch appeared on the side of his face as he stared at his friend. Sometimes she just knew which buttons to push to really tick him off. But he knew right now was not a good time to start an argument. He shrugged lightly and walked towards her. "All I'm saying is this. I don't know what happened between you two to get to where you are today. I really don't. All I know is for the past five years I have seen you trying everything possible to get to him. And when I came here, I saw that it was his intention too. Yet something has happened that has just changed everything. All I ask is you think about this, Rukia."

"I don't want to make this harder then it is for him, Renji…" she said quietly, still not meeting his gaze.

Renji shook his head. "No, I think you just want it easier for yourself. If you had half an idea of what he felt about you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Rukia glared at him, but before she could say anything, the door to the bathroom opened. Both went silent as Ichigo appeared, and looked at them curiously when he sensed the tension in the air.

"Eh, are you two alright?" he asked curiously as he walked over to them.

"We're fine," Rukia muttered as she looked away from Renji. He sighed and turned back to Ichigo, who was now sitting with them on the table.

"So..." Ichigo started, "What did you want to talk about before you left, Renji?"

Rukia's head whipped back from the window to Renji, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Renji cheeks flushed slightly before letting out a soft cough. "Well, might as well get straight to the point since I don't have much time. You know, Ichigo, that we aren't just here for visiting, right?"

Ichigo nodded, noticing Rukia's uncomfortable demeanor at where the conversation was going.

"Well, you know that Captain had given you these past few years to stay here with your family and friends, and to let you decide if you were ready to come back with us to Soul Society or stay here."

Ichigo nodded, still remembering their agreement.

"Then you do know that we are here for your answer," Renji asked hesitantly, eyeing Rukia, who was not looking at either of them.

There was an awkward pause in which Ichigo turned from Renji to Rukia, not knowing what was going on. Why did Rukia have such a pained expression on her face? What were they hiding from him?

"Rukia..." he said quietly. She finally turned her eyes to him.

"Ichigo..." She bit her lip slightly before sighing. "I think…"

A sudden pounding of the door nearly caused the entire apartment to shake, causing the three to turn their attention the raucous outside.

"IIICCHHHIIIGGOOO!! Let us in! Is my darling Rukia-chan inside?!"

Ichigo groaned as he looked at the ceiling. "It is way too early to be dealing with him," he muttered as he made his way towards the door.

Rukia and Renji watched curiously as Ichigo grabbed the door knob tentatively, taking a deep breath before opening it quickly, immediately removing himself from the ongoing path of Kurosaki Isshin, who had at that very moment hurtled into the room.

The man got up and looked around happily as two figures walked in behind him, embarrassment still evident on their face.

"Where iiiss sheee?? Rukiachan! My lovely third daughter, oh how I have missed you!!"

Rukia got up from her seat and smiled. Isshin's attention quickly turned to her, and grabbed her hands. "Rukiachan! You really are here! Where have you been?! Has my son been treating you well? oooo, you stayed the night here! Excellent!" He winked with a toothy grin.

Rukia blushed slightly as Ichigo muttered angrily, yanking her hand out of his fathers.

"You almost broke my neck!" he growled at Isshin, who waved his hand dismissively in front of Ichigo.

"Nonsense, you did fine, my boy. I am so proud! You have made your father truly proud by dodging it! I have taught you well!"

Rukia's eyes lingered for a moment at Ichigo, who at that moment dove at his father, then to the two figures who were standing silently behind them. She smiled as the two girls looked over to her as well. She sidestepped Isshin and Ichigo, who were now sprawled on the floor arguing, and walked over to them.

The two girls ran up to Rukia, with one wrapping her arms so tightly around Rukia that she gasped for breath. "How are you, Yuzu? Karin?" She smiled affectionately.

The picture Rukia had seen last night did no justice to how beautifully the two had grown these past few years. Rukia mused on how they were almost her height now.

Yuzu let go of Rukia a moment later and smiled. "We are great, Rukia-nee. It's so good to have you back."

Behind her, Karin nodded. "Yeah, after you left, we got stuck again with those two," she muttered, pointing to Ichigo and Isshin, who now had each other in a headlock. She shook her head, and turned back to Rukia. "We heard you were leaving today, so we decided to kidnap you for a while and make sure that doesn't happen."

Yuzu nodded in agreement, still holding onto Rukia with a surprisingly strong grip.

Rukia smiled, "I'm so happy I got a chance to meet you both, but I really cannot stay longer then one day."

She noted immediately how both Ichigo and Isshin had stopped fighting and were listening to every word being spoken from her. She sighed and turned her attention back to the girls. "I promise next time I visit I will stay longer."

Both Yuzu and Isshin pouted, while Karin and Ichigo just stared at her. She felt her face flushing slightly, and her eyes narrowed when she found Renji in the background with a cocky grin. He coughed lightly, earning him all the attention that was before on Rukia.

"Well, if that is the case, you should spend as much of you can today here," he added, grinning at Rukia's expression. "I'll pick you up around eight this evening."

Rukia nodded tersely, remembering to have a few words with her friend when they got back to Soul Society. Renji nodded to the rest of Ichigo's family before walking towards the door. He stopped in front of Rukia, giving her one more meaningful, unspoken look before turning and walking out the door. She watched him disappear before her attention was shifted back to Ichigo's family, who were watching her very carefully. A moment of awkward silence ensued, before Yuzu coughed slightly.

"Well, Rukia-nee, we should spend as much time as possible then! We wanted to take you around Karakura since you haven't been here for so long!"

Rukia knew there was nothing else she could do. Truthfully, she had missed both girls, and it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with them before she left. She felt guilty over the promise she had made them, but there was nothing else she could really do about it.

"Yeah that sounds great, Yuzu. I'll just get ready and we can go then."

x.X.x

Although she had her reservation about staying any longer then she should have, Rukia had to admit that it really wasn't a bad idea after all. Spending the day with Ichigo's family made her remember just how much she truly had grown to love them. Even though Ichigo always complained about their crazy antics, she could tell how much he cared about them, and she could not help but bond with them immediately. They drove around Karakura, Rukia smiling at all the places she still remembered from when she had been here. Ichigo and Isshin sat in the front, still arguing as they picked different places they wanted to go, while Karin and Yuzu sat with her in the back, watching their endless bickering quietly.

She really wanted to visit Ichigo's old school, but the day was going by so suprisingly quick. As the sun began to set, they decided to head back to their house for dinner.

Rukia was pleasantly surprised to find that Isshin had invited her friends as well. The chaos that ensued during dinner had no bounds. It seemed Ichigo was having a yelling match with Isshin and Ishida throughout the entire night while Chad stood quietly to the corner. The girls stayed on their own end, trying to keep themselves out of way except when they needed to break up any fights that got out of hand.

The noise in the house had gotten to the point that Rukia found herself stepping out quietly in order to call Renji. He had not called her the whole day and she began to wonder irritably if he had forgotten about her. There was still no response and she sighed in frustration. The sky was not blanketed with several twinkling stars, and the moon spread a luminous glow throughout. She knelt down on her knees, trying again to get in touch with him.

"Why aren't you picking up, Renji?" she asked bitterly, before conceding defeat and slumping to the ground.  
She shivered slightly from the cold air, and tried calling him again. She gasped in shock when she felt something warm wrap around her shoulders. She quickly looked to the side and found a thick jacket placed around her shoulder. She looked up and found Ichigo watching her curiously.

"Thought you might need that since it gets very cold at night nowadays."

Rukia clutched the jacket and brought it closer to her. "Thanks, Ichigo." She heard a slight rustle and knew that he had settled down next to her. She turned to find him staring out at the moon, scratching his head slightly.

She smiled lightly, instantly reminded of a time before when she saw him like this. He turned to her, and then noticed the phone in her hand. "Renji called?" he asked coolly.

Rukia bit her lip and shook her head, looking at the phone. "No, he hasn't. I don't know. I tried calling him, but he isn't picking up."

"Rukia?" he asked softly, causing Rukia to turn to him.

"Why are you in such a hurry to get back to Soul Society?" he asked, watching her carefully.

Rukia could feel her face flushing slightly under his stare before muttering something that he could not understand. She turned to find him still watching her, his brow raised slightly.

"It's just that...Nisama wanted me back as soon as possible, and you know how he is..."

Ichigo snorted softly. "Yeah I do know how he is too well. But I also know you, Rukia. Had you really wanted to stay, you would have." he added hesitantly.

Rukia continued to look at him, realizing the sadness his eyes held as he turned away from her. She felt herself unable to swallow as she felt the guilt of her actions. Renji was right, she had been acting selfishly. If she was going to leave, the least she could do was to let Ichigo know why she had to go...without him.

"Ichigo?" she said quietly, a little evil part of her hoping he didn't hear. But the irritating fool he was turned quickly.

She breathed deeply before turning her attention to her hands as she fiddled with her fingers. "Well, the truth is..."

Her words were quickly cut off by a loud ring that nearly made her jump when she felt the phone go off. She wasn't the only one as she heard Ichigo cursing slightly next to her. She looked down and breathed in relief to see it was from Renji. She quickly attended to it, trying to ignore the mutinous scowl that had taken hold of Ichigo's face.

"Renji! Where have you been?!" she muttered in irritation.

Ichigo watched as she spoke with Renji, noting how she avoided his stare and kept her conversation to such a light tone that he could barely make out the words. Yet he was able to discern where the conversation was going by the changing expression on her face. She didn't look happy at all at what Renji was telling her.

She finally noticed that Ichigo was watching her and sighed deeply.

"Ok. Let me know immediately if there are any changes then. Yes, yes, Ichigo is here with me right now." She listened for a bit and rolled her eyes at whatever Renji's response was, and Ichigo would have given anything in the world right then to know what was said. She turned off the phone and pouted slightly, staring at it.

Ichigo raised his brow, waiting for her to respond on what had just happened. Rukia bit her lip hesitantly and let out an exaspherated sigh. "They are having some problems with the gate. Its gotten a bit unstable again..." she muttered. She fiddled with the phone again before placing it in her pocket.

Ichigo watched as she rose quietly and followed suit. She turned away from him and started walking back inside. "Rukia?"

Rukia stopped for a moment and shifted her head just an inch to his direction. "Looks like I will have to take up on Karin and Yuzu's invitation to spend the night with them here."

Ichigo blinked several times while taking in the words she had just said and it took nearly every bit of will power he had not to smile from ear to ear.

x.X.x

Renji shifted uncomfortably as he stood in front of Byakuya. The man was way too quiet while surveying him critically.

"So, the gates are unstable once more?" he asked quietly, closing his eyes.

Renji nodded as Byakuya got up. There was a very long silence before he turned and walked towards the door. "Very well, Renji. Keep watching to see when it will be safe for Rukia to return."

Renji waited until he was sure Byakuya left before letting out the breath he had been holding in for so long. He shook his head and muttered a few words before turning to the tiny figure next to him, who had up to that point been hiding behind him.

The young shinimagi looked at Renji nervously. "Renji-san, why did you say that to Taichu? I thought we were told that the gate was safe enough for Kuchiki-san to go through?"

Renji snorted softly as he shook his head. "There was no need for me to say it. He already knew."

The shinigami stared in shock. "Then...why didn't he say anything?"

Renji just shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know. But what I do know is, that if you utter a word of this to anyone, especially Rukia, you will regret it..."

The shinigami squeaked in fright and nodded quickly, before running out the door.

Renji smirked. "Yeah, because if Rukia finds out..." He shuddered slightly.

He knew Rukia would kill him if she ever found out, but he couldn't let her come back yet... not without working things out with Ichigo. If she left Ichigo hanging, if she never told him the truth, he knew she would live to regret it.

_To be Continued..._

* * *

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend and beta, Ava. I'm still debating whether this series is worth continuing, but I wanted to thank everyone who has commented on it thus far. You have no idea how happy it makes me to read everyone's thoughts on it. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.  
_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Ichigo yawned loudly as he made his way down the stairs. The entire family and most of his friends had stayed up nearly the entire night, happy that Rukia was able to stay for another day. The chaos that had taken over had now been replaced with an eerie silence. Ichigo made his way to the living room, and stopped dead in his tracks.

He frowned lightly when he saw the state of the room; it looked as if a tornado had struck last night. Piles of movies and board games were thrown around the floor, with several empty cartons of ice cream and bowls covering the tables. He rolled his eyes when he saw his father passed out in the corner of the room, right where they had left him. His eyes moved to the enormous pile of blankets that were in the center of the room.

Walking closer, he smiled on seeing Rukia and his sisters sleeping peacefully, completely wiped out from last night. He knew they stayed up until nearly five this morning from the sound of their laughter that filled the entire house. Though he didn't get a wink of sleep due to it, he still felt content that Rukia and his sisters had a good time. There had just been too much tension for the past two days, and it was nice for him to know that she had relaxed somewhat.

He went back upstairs to quickly shower, knowing they were probably not going to wake up for a while now. He turned on the hot water, allowing it to sooth the weariness he still felt from everything that had been happening since Rukia's arrival. He closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead against the cold tile.

He knew he had to talk to her. Something was wrong, and a part of him wondered if it was the painful reason that he had been trying to deny to himself. Did Rukia even feel the same way as he did? As he thought about it, he realized that she had never reciprocated any of his feelings and he wondered whether this was the reason that she was uncomfortable whenever he tried to come close to her. He sighed, knowing that he had to find out before he did anything else.

He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way out the door to his room. He stopped abruptly at the sound of his closet door closing, and his entire face flushed when Rukia turned to see him entering, her face suddenly turning just the same shade of red. They stood there for a moment, too shocked to move.

It took every bit of will power Rukia had to not look anywhere below Ichigo's shoulder blade. The towel itself was barely covering him, not that she had looked enough to be able to tell. But from what she did see, she knew she had better turn around. "S-sorry. Yuzu told me to put the futons and blankets away. I didn't know you were done with your bath."

Ichigo muttered something as he held his towel closer to him. Rukia nodded, still fighting to keep her eye on his head and not let them travel any lower, walked around him to leave the room. She gasped when she felt something behind her feet, causing her to lose her balance. She shrieked as she hurtled backward, only to have Ichigo grab her wrist and pull her to regain her balance. She hit his solid chest hard, her face now the deepest shade it had ever been. His clean scent overwhelmed her, and she squirmed slightly when realizing he still held her arms firmly. They stared at each other for some time before a soft rustle below them caused Rukia's mouth to open in shock. Ichigo seemed still unaware as he continued to look at her.

"Ichigo..." she barely whispered, "Your towel..."

Ichigo blinked before looking down, cursing as he quickly knelt to get the towel that had fallen while Rukia prayed to the high heavens that she would keep her eyes straight and not let the little evil figure on her shoulder tell her to do anything otherwise.

"Rukia-nnneeee?"

Both froze as Yuzu's cheery voice filled the hallways. The door slowly opened before Ichigo yelled that he was still in his towel. "Oh! Sorry, Oni-san! Have you seen Nee-san? She came here to put away all the blankets."

Ichigo quickly buttoned his pants and shook his head. "No, I haven't..." Yuzu pouted slightly before leaving. "Ok, but tell her that breakfast is ready if you see her!"

Ichigo nodded and waited until Yuzu closed the door. The closet door slowly opened and Rukia peeked out. She took in a deep breath and got out, looking back. 'It's been so long since I last stayed there...'

Ichigo chuckled lightly, bringing Rukia back to the current situation. She turned to find him pulling on his shirt, but she still couldn't get the image quite out of her head. Her cheeks were still hot as she started leaving without a word even when Ichigo called her name, telling her to stay since Yuzu had just left. The moment she came outside, she found Yuzu and Karin standing at the end of the hallways with their mouths wide open. She groaned when they covered their mouths in laughter as Ichigo walked out right behind her with his shirt still half buttoned, grabbing her hand to pull her back in before anyone saw her. She glared at him and then to Yuzu. He cringed as the girls giggled louder. Karin smirked, "Oye, Onisan, why didn't you just tell us Nee-san was helping you get dressed?" Ichigo face turned a bright scarlet red before he started running after the two girls with a very shocked Rukia left behind in the hallway.

x.X.x.

There was an awkward silence at breakfast that morning. Ichigo and Rukia refused to look at one another while Yuzu and Karin snickered quietly, gaining a curious look from Isshin. Ichigo finally couldn't stand it and quickly finished his food. He stood up and looked over his shoulder at the others. "Oye, Rukia?"

Rukia looked up, as the others leaned forward slightly to hear the conversation.

He rolled his eyes. "You said you wanted to see the school yesterday. I think we might have some time today if you still want to go?"

She nodded, thankful that she would get out of the house. She loved being here, but after being caught in Ichigo's room, she had been hounded by his sisters to the point that she needed to get out of there. At least Ichigo was clueless enough not to bring anything up that would embarrass either of them.

They got ready, and quickly said their goodbyes to the family. Ichigo could feel a tick on his forehead from irritation when Isshin began sobbing, holding onto Rukia's hand tightly. "Take care, Rukia-chan! Know that papa is always here if you need anything. If my son doesn't behave well, you come tell me right away!"

Ichigo growled and grabbed Rukia's arm, dragging her out while the girls continued to smirk.

They drove quietly, Rukia refusing to look at Ichigo. The scene from earlier still played in her head, and she just could not get the image of Ichigo clad with nothing but a towel out of her head. Yes, she admitted to herself, she did look below the collarbone, which was her undoing.

.x.X.x.

Rukia could not help but smile when the sight of their school came into view. It seemed so long ago that she had been there, and yet she remembered every detail of it. They made their way to the gate, and Rukia looked around, remembering fondly the memories she had just from where she was standing. She looked to see Ichigo opening the gate, and blinked. "Ichigo, is it ok to go inside? Won't they say anything?" she asked as she followed him. He smirked. "They will if they find us." She blinked before he grinned, motioning her to follow him. She had to admit, he was good at sneaking through the school, even though a part of her did wonder if he had learned of these routes while trying to sneak out of class. They finally made it to the stairway that lead to the roof. Rukia followed him as they made their way up. She gasped in delight when they arrived, running to the fence on the edge. She looked down, seeing the entire school. Each corner had a place in Rukia's thoughts...they were times when she was happy and wanted.

She turned to find Ichigo settling where they used to have their lunch and pull out a bento and two juice boxes. He looked up and smiled to her, motioning her to sit down. She walked over to him and settled down, taking the juice box from him.

"Yuzu packed this since we had to…rush with our breakfast," he muttered as Rukia blushed from the thought of just why they had to in the first place. She looked at the juice box and laughed quietly. "Yuzu packed this too?" she teased. He looked over to her and smiled sheepishly. "I thought you would like that."

She laughed lightly and nodded. While they ate, Ichigo told her about all their other friends from school and what they were doing. Rukia felt sad when she learned that some were still in Karakura and she didn't get a chance to see them. She could feel a sense of emptiness on knowing she had missed so much after being gone for so long. She had thought of Karakura as another home, and so much had changed in these few years. Her thoughts were brought back when she found Ichigo putting away the empty bento and rising slowly, pulling out his hand to help her up.

"This place hasn't changed at all, has it?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No, it hasn't."

Rukia smiled gently. "I've missed this place so much."

"Yeah...we've missed you here as well," he said quietly, as Rukia looked over to him. He was watching her, and she could feel her cheeks growing hot again as she looked away. She knew it was now or never.

"Ichigo, we need to talk." she said quietly, leaning against the fence. Ichigo nodded and waited for her to say something.

She bit her lip and sighed. "I know we came here to ask what you wanted to do. But after being here, I just think that it would be best if you stayed here."

Ichigo's expression remained unreadable and he did not say a word, his brow knitting together. Rukia breathed deeply. "It's just that...from how long I've been here, I've seen that you have really made a place here for yourself. You have your friends, family...new friends...I...I just don't want you to lose all of this." She looked away again, her head resting against fence.

"What about you?" he asked quietly. "If I stay here, I won't ever see you."

Rukia continued to look out at the small town, not knowing the words to say. "Well, yes. But I don't think you should choose to come back because of me. If you want to come back, it's because it's something you want to do. I don't want you to make a decision for any other reason other then that. It's not like you cannot be a shinigami while being here. You are already a representative here and you can take care of your town more easily while being with your family."

There was a silent pause as Ichigo nodded, looking out at the town. Rukia waited for his answer, silently nervous at what he would say.

"Rukia?"

"Yes, Ichigo?" She slowly turned to him, concerned to hear the sudden sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry," he said very quietly, turning away from her. She continued to look at him, her heart beating painfully as she watched his head descend slightly, and his hair covering his eyes.

"I've been thinking," he said, uncertainty in his voice as he refused to look at her. "It just seems that every time I try to come close, you push me away. I could never understand why. Was I just doing something wrong?"

He swallowed, still not looking at her as he continued. "Then I thought about all the times we spent before and after our separation. I realized that it was I who was always pushing for something. I never even asked what you wanted. I always assumed it was the same, but you never said it. Then I realized that it was because of this. It was because it was just me who felt this way. That I kept pushing you into something you didn't want. I wonder also if it's because of this that you don't want me to come back with you. You say it is my choice, but it just sounds that no matter what I choose, you will still not be a part of it…"

He couldn't say anymore. His breathing was heavy, and he continued to look down, his expression hidden behind his strawberry hair. She knew he was trying to calm himself down. It tore her apart to know that he had been hurt because of her.

This is how it should have been though. She knew this was going to be his reaction, but why did it still hurt her to see him in this state? She knew she should have let it end there. Yet still…

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo stiffened slightly when he felt her warm fingers on his arm, motioning for him to turn to her. He turned and looked at her, his eyes widening when he felt her other hand touch his cheek. She smiled softly, though her eyes were filled with sadness. "You did nothing wrong," she whispered, slowly pulling his face towards her. Their lips brushed together very gently, and she could see the complete shock in Ichigo's eyes. She leaned her forehead against his, taking a deep breath. If she could, she would want to stay like this with him forever, but she knew it had to stop. She could feel his breathing returning to normal as he stared at her in confusion. She sighed, and moved her hands away as she pulled slightly back. "You are not the only one that feels this way. It's just that, it's not possible for us to be together," she whispered. She felt him walking towards her and froze when she felt his arms cup her face, before bringing his lips once more upon hers.

The kiss was very gentle, filled with fear and uncertainty. But as seconds passed, the kiss deepened into something much more. She shivered slightly as she felt his hand leave her cheek and entangled his fingers into her hair, pulling her even closer. She clutched his shirt tightly, knowing what she was doing was wrong, but she just couldn't move away from him. He was still shaking slightly in her arms, pouring all of his emotions into that one single gesture that had her heart beating furiously. They finally parted reluctantly, though Ichigo still held her tightly in his arms, his eyes staring straight into hers. He smiled gently as he moved a few strands of her hair from her face before bringing his faced closer to resume where they had left off. Yet no sooner had their lips touched that the door to the roof flew open and a few students entered, gaping at the two. Rukia quickly pushed herself away as Ichigo cursed furiously at the timing. The students giggled as they apologized, quickly leaving the two alone. Ichigo turned to find Rukia putting on her jacket, her face completely flushed. He sighed, knowing that it was probably best to leave since it appeared it was lunch time for the rest of the school. He hesitantly opened the door for her, and she went through without a word to him. Though they had been quite embarrassed from being found out, he still couldn't help but let the grin appear on his face.

x.X.x

Rukia stared out the window as Ichigo drove. The awkward silence that ensued was unbearable for both, but Rukia knew that they needed more time to talk about what just happened. However, the ringing of Ichigo's cell phone silenced her again as he pulled it out.

She played with her fingers as he began talking to someone, wondering just how she was going to get out of the mess she kept putting herself into. She could see the happiness that was now on Ichigo's face, but it pained her to know that it would be short lived, especially when she had to go back.

Her ears perked suddenly at what Ichigo was saying and slowly turned to him. He was still on the phone, and it was obvious he was slightly irritated. "Shurei…no, no. Don't take the taxi. I'm nearby so I'll come and pick you up. It's fine, don't worry. See you in 20 minutes. Bye."

He turned off the phone and sighed in frustration.

"Are you ok, Ichigo? Who was that?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo turned his head slightly with a smile. "A friend. She moved to London a few months ago, and decided to surprise everyone by coming over for a few days. She has no ride, so we are just going to go get her and drop her at her apartment. It's ok?"

Rukia nodded, slightly sinking into her seat. That name sounded so familiar…

Ichigo grew thoughtful for a moment and then "Remember that painting in my room? It's her."

Rukia felt herself growing numb. "O-oh?" She turned nervously back to the window, cursing herself for her stammering and hoped Ichigo hadn't noticed.

Fortunately for her, he didn't. "I think you both will get along great. I really want you to meet her."

She nodded, sinking more in her chair. This was a bad idea. Maybe the car wasn't going fast enough that she could jump out? Though trying to explain her reasons would be awkward. Perhaps a hollow appeared out of the blue? '_That could work'_ she thought desperately. But luck was not on her side it seemed since no sooner had she looked out to see just how fast they were going that Ichigo turned into the airport entrance. They parked their car quickly and made their way inside. Rukia walked awkwardly behind him as they walked past the crowd to the arrival gate. Rukia muttered angrily as she continued to get shoved from left to right. Sometimes she really hated being so small. She suddenly stopped when she felt his hands reach out for hers, pulling her gently through the crowd. Even as they got past the crowds and reached a more open area, he still never let it go, but at the same time refused to look at her. She couldn't help but smile slightly as she watched the back of his neck turn a bright red.

He finally let go of her hand as he stopped. She leaned to the side slowly to see and her eyes widened. There, in the distance, stood an extremely beautiful young woman, smiling brightly as she turned to them. She had long golden locks that fell lightly onto her slender waist. Her vibrant blue eyes shone brightly and her smile was just...beautiful and full of warmth. She had a beautiful sundress on that accentuated her slender figure. But all of these things weren't what concerned Rukia. It was the fact that this was not the first time she had seen this young woman.

As Ichigo made his way over to her, Rukia swiveled her head left and right, trying to find a place to hide. Before she could, she cursed lightly when she heard Ichigo calling her name. She turned very slowly in time to see the woman wrapping her arms around Ichigo, laughing. Rukia felt a slight tinge of anger at her actions, but knew that this wasn't the best time to bring out her zanpaktou.

She walked over to them, watching as Ichigo awkwardly tried to get out of the girl's hug, muttering something she couldn't understand. His face was completely red, and as soon as Rukia came to them, he quickly went to her side and pushed her a little further forward. "Eh, Rukia, this is my friend, Shurei. Shurei, this is Rukia. I've told you about her."

The young woman's eyes met with Rukia, and there was a slight pause as the two stared at one another. Rukia could tell that the realization was suddenly dawning upon the girl. She just hoped that it would be something that wouldn't be brought out.

Shurei walked forward, the smile returning to her face. "Kuchiki-san...yes, it's so nice to meet you. Ichigo has said much about you" she asked, still not taking her eyes off of Rukia.

"Hello," Rukia said awkwardly, looking away from Shurei. They stood there for a moment with Rukia nodding her head nervously, and Shurei continually looking at her while Ichigo grumbled with the luggage behind them. Shurei finally turned her attention to him and giggled softly. "Don't worry about that, Ichigo-kun, I can get those."

He shook his head and got the luggage and started walking towards the door, following closely by the two.

x.X.x

Rukia could feel the woman's eyes on her through the rear view mirror, which unnerved her. The ride to Shurei's hotel felt like an eternity.

"So, Kuchiki-san, when did you arrive in Karakura? Ichigo-kun never mentioned on the phone you would be coming."

Rukia turned slightly to Ichigo, who was determined to keep his eyes on the road, and then to Shurei. She coughed slightly before speaking to her in the same sweet tone that she had always acted with around his classmates. "Oh, Kurosaki-kun didn't? Well, I came just two days ago. I was supposed to leave yesterday, but it seems things didn't work out, did it, Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo muttered something and Shurei chuckled.

"Well either way, I am so happy I got to meet you, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia nodded and turned back to her window. She could still feel Shurei's eyes upon her before she heard a loud squeal in the back that made her turn. Shurei's eyes were wide and she grinned.

"Sorry, I was thinking when I saw you at the airport that we had met before, but I just couldn't remember! Now I do! I just wish I had known who you were at that time so Ichigo could have met with you too!"

Rukia's eyes grew wide as Ichigo turned slowly to her. "Er, I'm sure you are mistaken, Shurei-san, I haven't been here before."

She groaned inwardly as Ichigo's brow cocked up at that, still staring at her from the corner of his eyes as he drove. "Where did you think you saw her, Shurei?" he asked quietly. Rukia looked at him horrified. '_This can't be happening…_' she thought. She looked over to Shurei with a pleading look. Shurei watched her with a confused expression before smiling again. "Well, it doesn't matter. I mean, Kuchiki-san has said she hasn't been here before, so it was probably someone else."

Rukia nodded furiously as Ichigo's grip tightened around the steering wheel.

.x.X.x.

They parked at a nearby restaurant since Shurei complained she was very hungry. Rukia wanted nothing more to just be anywhere but with them at the moment, but with the way Ichigo was behaving, she dared not say anything to him. His jaw tightened considerably after their drive, and he kept throwing her suspicious looks. She just hoped that the lunch was done with quickly and by some miracle, Renji would call.

They walked inside and ordered their food, with Ichigo excusing himself for a moment. When they were both sure he was out of ear shot, Shurei turned to her. "I'm sorry about earlier. I had no idea that you were his friend and you didn't want him to know I saw you…"

Rukia shook his head. "It's ok, Shurei-san."

Shurei-san bit her lip and hesitated slightly before continuing. "It did feel odd telling you everything when I thought you were a stranger. But now that I know you are his friend, I'm relieved." Rukia nodded, trying to distract herself with the drinks that had just arrived. She really didn't want to get into this conversation at the moment, but Shurei seemed to keep pressing it onward, which was really beginning to irritate her.

When Ichigo made his way back, she glanced at Shurei, who stopped immediately, much to her relief.

Ichigo settled in the chair across from them as their food was brought. Rukia and Ichigo barely ate since they had already eaten before, and remained silent for the most part while Shurei did nothing but talk about her trip. They nodded, smiled, everything they felt they should to keep her happy. Rukia could feel Ichigo's eyes on her from time to time. She excused herself halfway through, not able to take his scrutinizing look anymore, and made her way outside, to try her phone and see if she could get a hold of Renji. Yet the fool that he was refused to pick up.

.x.X.x.

Ichigo watched Rukia get up leave and quickly turned to Shurei. "Shurei, where did you see Rukia?" Shurei looked up and laughed nervously. "I told you Ichigo-kun, it was a mistake. Now that I think about it, it was all a silly mix-up."

Ichigo glared at her and her smile faltered slightly. "Ichigo-kun…really…"

He gritted his teeth, trying to control his temper. "Please…Shurei."

She turned her gaze to where Rukia had left and then back to Ichigo. "Well, just so you know, Ichigo-kun, I'm sure it wasn't her. But if it had been…well…"

Ichigo nodded.

Shurei bit her lip. "Eh, I saw her the night that we…went out."

Ichigo stared at her in shock as she continued. "Remember the night of the festival that I asked you to go out with me at least once. I know you really weren't interested, but I thought at least we could try. I was so happy when you finally agreed. Anyway, I saw her for a moment…" she broke off and Ichigo could feel his heart stopping.

"When?" He said through gritted teeth, afraid he already knew the answer.

Shurei blushed. "When I kissed you," She admitted after a moment and his heart sank.

"Anyways, when I ran off after you rejected me, I bumped into her again. I was just running so fast that I nearly lost my balance. She helped me. She was so kind, though I could sense so much sadness in her. She didn't stay long though and left quickly before I could ask her name."

Ichigo swallowed. "What did she say to you?"

Shurei shrugged. "I really don't remember, Ichigo-kun. It just happened so fast. She wanted to know why I seemed upset. I was embarrassed. I didn't tell her. I just told her I'd been on a date with you. She didn't say much after that. She seemed sad herself."

Ichigo looked down at the table, his fist curling tightly around the tablecloth. She had been there when he had gone out with Shurei. No wonder she had been behaving like that. '_Of all the times for her to come, she had to come at that very moment'_, he cursed to himself. He quickly looked up when he heard a thud very close and quickly turned to see Rukia looking at them in horror. She must have heard everything, as the moment their eyes locked, she quickly turned around and ran out of the restaurant. Ichigo cursed and tried to go, only to be held up by the waiter. He growled in anger before pulling out his wallet and throwing some bills on the table. Shurei got up quickly as well and ran out of the restaurant with him. But Rukia was nowhere in sight.

.x.X.x.

She was not at his apartment, or at his house. After dropping Shurei off, he searched frantically in all the places she could have possibly run to, cursing himself for allowing her to get away like that. He just wished that she had not returned to Soul Society, knowing once she got there, she probably would never return.

_'How could this have happened?! Why didn't she...of all the times...' _He growled in frustration, knowing he would always hate himself if he didn't find her in time. He had to tell her everything that happened that night. He just had to make her see what really happened.

His car screeched to a halt in front of Inoue's apartment. He knew she was his last hope in finding where Rukia was. Perhaps she had seen or heard from her before, since Renji still had not contacted her when she was with him. He quickly ran up the stairs, and knocked on the door, trying to catch his breath as he waited for someone to answer.

The door slowly opened and Inoue looked out, surprised to see him standing there. "Kurosaki-kun? What are you doing here so late?"

Ichigo steadied his breath a bit more before looking up at her. "Rukia?"

Inoue blinked in confusion as he stood up, leaning a bit to see whether Rukia was inside. He raised his brow as Inoue also leaned in the same direction, trying to block his view. "Kuchiki-san?" she asked, a slight unease in her voice. "I thought she was with you?"

Ichigo shook his head. "No. She...she ran off, Inoue. I really need to talk to her. Have you seen her?"

Inoue bit her lip hesitantly and shook her head after a moment, not meeting his eyes. "No, I haven't seen her..."

Ichigo took a deep breath, feeling the slight familiar reitsu coming from inside. "Inoue...please..." he said very quietly so that only she could hear.

Inoue looked at him helplessly and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun. It's really not..."

"She is here, isn't she?" he interrupted, staring at her intently.

She swallowed, and nodded. "She isn't...just give her some time, Kurosaki-kun. I promise I'll get her to talk to you. Just right now its not a good time."

He was about to say something, but her pleading look made him sigh in defeat. He stood there for a moment, trying to control his anger before he looked at Inoue, who was watching him in concern. He nodded finally, looking once more into the apartment, before turning and walking away. Inoue watched him go to his car and slowly closed the door. She turned and walked towards her room, finding Rukia sitting on the floor and checking her phone. Rukia looked up as Inoue walked over to her, and sat down next to her.

"He left," she said quietly, and Rukia nodded.

"Thank you, Inoue. I'm so sorry you had to go through all this."

Inoue smiled lightly and shook her head, "No, don't worry about it..."

Rukia returned the smile before turning sadly to her phone again. Still no calls. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she tried desperately not to let them fall, but it was getting harder each moment.

"Kuchiki-san, what happened?"

Rukia shook her head, staying silent as she fiddled with the phone in her hand. She explained to Inoue what had just happened. There was silence between them for a while, before Inoue turned to her. "Can I ask you a question, Kuchiki-san?"

Rukia nodded slightly.

"What are your feelings for Kurosaki-kun?"

Rukia blinked several times, her mouth open with the shock and surprise at the question. "W-what kind of question is that, Inoue?" she muttered, turning quickly away to hide her blush. Inoue chuckled lightly and placed her arms around Rukia. "Do you love him, Kuchiki-san?"

If it was possible, Rukia could feel her face turning even more red. What kind of a question was that? Her feelings for Ichigo? Rukia took a deep breath, wondering herself now what to say. "I don't know..." she muttered quietly, still feeling the heat from her face intensifying as Inoue continued to observe her in amusement.

Inoue sighed and leaned back against her bed, her eyes closed. "Well, Kuchiki-san, when you do know, you will know exactly what you need to do."

Rukia bit her lip, curling her legs to rest her chin on her knees.

"You know something, Kuchiki-san. I had always known it. That there was always something...there."

Rukia turned her head to Inoue, who still had her eyes closed.

"Ever since we went to Soul Society to save you, I knew that Kurosaki-kun didn't see you as just a nakama. He fought so much for your life. He risked everything. I saw it...from the way he looked at you, the way you would always be the one to heal the wounds he always felt in his heart...you changed his world, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia could hear the sadness in Inoue's voice, knowing fully well that Inoue had loved Ichigo as well. She tried to find the right words, but was cut off by Inoue, who gave her a knowing smile.

"Even when we returned, it felt as if a part of him was left behind. A part that no one could bring back, no matter how hard they tried. It was as if he left his heart back there," she giggled lightly, causing Rukia to blush slightly and turn back to an interesting spot on the floor.

"Anyways, I could tell right from the very moment I saw him the day you came back that he was so happy. Just the way he was when you returned from Soul Society the first time. And I knew at that time just how much you meant to him, how much you were a part of him, even after being from such different worlds. He cares about you, Kuchiki-san. I just want you to be able to tell him how you feel. He deserves to know that much at least."

Rukia buried her face on top of her knees. How could she tell him what she felt if she was unsure herself? All these emotions that she had been feeling up to this point...what did they mean to her?"

She looked over to Inoue, who was now surveying her closely. "What about you, Inoue?" she asked quietly.

It was Inoue's turn to blush slightly and look away. "I did love him, Kuchiki-san. I always have, and I suppose it is one of those things that will always be there. But I knew right from the beginning it was not meant to be. I moved on, but sometimes...its difficult. I started seeing Uryuu..."

Rukia's ears perked at this, and she stared at Inoue in shock. Inoue chuckled at Rukia's expression. "Yes, we started seeing each other a little after we returned from Soul Society. He was just so kind, Kuchiki-san, that I thought why not? But, sometimes I feel there is still this distance between us because he knows about my feelings for Kurosaki-kun. There is just nothing I can do or say to change that."

Rukia smiled lightly. "Then I would have to say that we both would need to follow your advice, Inoue. If you want Ishida to not have to worry constantly about how you feel...you should just tell him straight out what you wish for."

Inoue nodded. "Yes, I think I need to. I don't want to lose him..." she muttered lightly, her eyes nearly widening as much as Rukia at her own statement. Rukia smirked at Inoue's glowing red features before taking a deep breath. "You are fortunate, Inoue, that you can tell him this...and everything will work. I just...I cant..."

"Why not, Kuchiki-san? If you just tell Kurosaki-kun how you feel..."

"It won't make a difference, Inoue," she interrupted. "Nothing will."

"Why not, Kuchiki-san...what aren't you telling me?"

Rukia looked over to Inoue, hesitating on whether she should tell her.

.x.X.x.

Inoue parked the car in front of Ichigo's apartment. Rukia's eyes grew wide and she shook her head. "I changed my mind, Inoue. I can't do this..."

Inoue turned to her, a strange sort of enthusiastic glimmer in her eyes that scared Rukia slightly. "There is no turning back, Kuchiki-san. You have to tell him everything."

Rukia breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. "I can't. I can't face him after everything. Take me back, In-"

-tap-

Both girls screamed at the top of their lungs when they heard a knock on the window. Rukia lost complete composure on seeing Ichigo standing there, looking thoroughly irritated. She whipped her head angrily at Inoue, who blushed. "Sorry, Kuchiki-san, I had to make sure he was awake before we came...so I called him to let him know we were coming..."

Rukia looked back and forth between Inoue and Ichigo, still shaking from being stuck in such a predicament. She finally growled in frustration and pushed open the door, nearly hitting Ichigo. She slammed the door, and Inoue quickly pulled out, giving her a thumbs up before leaving. Rukia narrowed her eyes at her friend's retreating car.

'_Last time I tell Inoue anything..._' she thought angrily before her thoughts were turned to the person standing behind her. She turned and looked straight at his amber eyes, which were strangely unreadable to her. He quietly turned and made his way to his apartment. Rukia scratched her head lightly, a trait she had somehow acquired from Ichigo, before following him. The walk seemed to take an eternity, and Rukia could see her palms sweating. Why was she getting so nervous? Since when had she ever been nervous around him?

She entered his apartment and he quietly shut the door. She felt like a trapped bird in a cage. He walked past her without a word and to the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat?" he asked quietly, still not looking at her. She shook her head, feeling foolish since he wasn't even looking at her. She sat down at the edge of the couch, her hands folded on her lap. She felt him sitting in the chair near her and looked up.

He was watching her, trying to find the right words to start the conversation. He didn't want her to run away or to not trust in his words. He could feel the anger, frustration of what had happened earlier, but he knew he had to keep his temper in check if they were going to get through this. For some reason, he felt scared that this was the last chance for them to allow everything out in the open.

"Rukia," he began, but Rukia shook her head. "No don't, Ichigo. Look, whatever happened, happened. It's no big deal..."

Ichigo scoffed. "Then why did you run away?"

Rukia pouted and crossed her arms, not looking for him. "I wasn't running away. I thought a jog would be an excellent form of exercise since I haven't been doing anything here with no hollows." She heard a soft chuckle from him and she felt her body freeze when he settled down next to her. She tried to move slightly away, cursing to herself when she realized she was already on the edge of the couch.

"Rukia, look at me."

She closed her eye, taking a deep breath. She was frightened, but it was now or never; although a part of her wished there was a later option. She turned to him and met his gaze.

"That kiss wasn't supposed to happen. Shurei just kissed me and I pulled away immediately. I don't have any such feelings for her," he said in almost a whisper.

Rukia felt a lump in her throat and nodded. "I know...I trust you, Ichigo."

"Then why didn't you meet me that night? Why did you leave?" he asked, his voice strained from the hurt he felt after realizing she had been right there, and he never knew.

"I don't know..." she muttered, staring out the window behind them. "I don't know. I came to meet you but when I found you, you were having so much fun with Shurei on your date. I was…jealous at first. Thought about coming at you with Sode no Shirayuki. But then it just made me realize that there was a chance for you here if I wasn't part of your life. I thought maybe you could move on and be happy with someone and still be with your family and friends. There is nothing for you in Sou-"

She stopped immediately when his lips crashed onto hers as he pulled her closer to him. The kiss was felt more tender then the one they had shared on the rooftop, and she found she couldn't think of anything else but that very moment that she was in his arms. It was a comfort she had never thought she would ever have, but here she was, kissing his with such fervor that she felt all of her pain melt away. "Rukia," he murmured softly against her lips as he began pushing her down on the couch. She opened her eyes fractionally to see him looking at her and all the reality of what was happening or about to happen struck her. She felt the tears that had been threatening earlier slowly start sliding down her cheeks as she quickly broke away from him. He looked at her, confused, and she quickly got up. "I'm so sorry, Ichigo. This...shouldn't have happened." She felt him rising and grabbing her wrist, turning her around gently.

"Rukia, you are going to tell me right now what is going on. You are telling me that what happened that night meant nothing and yet you still push me away! Why are you doing this, Rukia?"

Rukia tried to pull her wrist out of his hand, but he held it firmly. "Because what is happening, shouldn't happen, Ichigo!" she shouted, pulling harder but finding his hold getting tighter.

"Tell me one good reason why not!" he demanded.

"Because..." she took in a deep breath, "I'm engaged to someone else, Ichigo."

* * *

_To be Continued..._

_A/N: Yes. I enjoy evil cliffhangers…fuuuuu…_

_Much love to everyone who reviewed, and to my awesome beta. Without you, this would be...well, I don't want to think about it kekeke_


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**

* * *

  
**

It was nearly two in the morning when Ichigo finally gave up on trying to get any sleep. He had tossed and turned restlessly for the past two hours, but his mind was just racing with too many thoughts.

"_I'm engaged to someone else, Ichigo." _

Ichigo groaned and buried his face in his pillow. He could feel the anger welling up inside him. He punched the pillow uselessly and sighed in frustration. The shock still had not worn off and he just wished he was in a very bad dream that would soon be over. But as the minutes ticked away, the reality struck him that everything that had happened tonight was real and that he had lost her even before they had a chance to be together.

--

_(Flashback)_

_Ichigo stared at her as the words slowly began to sink in. His hold on her wrist grew slightly tighter. "What are you talking about, Rukia?! I'm seriously not in a mood for jokes…" _

_Rukia gritted her teeth as she tried to pull away, but found his grip was far too tight. "I'm not joking, Ichigo. I'm engaged and going to be married in two days."_

"_To whom?!" he demanded. "What the hell is going on, Rukia?!"_

_Rukia continued to yank her wrist out of his hand but found it completely useless. "Ichigo, let go." She said quietly. _

_When he saw her wince slightly, he quickly loosened his grip and muttered an apology, feeling extremely guilty. "Are you okay?" _

_She rubbed her wrist and nodded, turning away and sitting down on the couch._

"_What is going on, Rukia?" he said quietly, his eyes blazing with such intensity that it made her nervous. _

_Rukia could see his face flushed with anger that he was trying to control and turned her eyes downward. _

_He let out a dark chuckle, one that didn't mask the sadness and anger he was feeling. "So you have decided already that you are going to marry this guy?" _

_She nodded._

_He whipped around and looked at her angrily. "Then why did you give me any hope with that kiss today? Did it mean anything, or was it just out of pity?"_

_Rukia opened her mouth a few times to say something but found that no words could come out. _

_Ichigo shook his head and moved away from her outstretched fingers. "I was so stupid, wasn't I?"_

"_Ichigo…"_

_He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. "I can't believe you kept something like this from me, Rukia. I thought that you coming back meant we can be together, and with that kiss…I thought you felt the same way. But it was all just a big joke, wasn't it?" _

_Rukia could feel her cheeks flushing with anger as she listened to him. "Don't you dare call that a joke, Ichigo!"_

"_Then what the hell am I supposed to call it, Rukia?!" he yelled, causing her to take a few steps back. "You get engaged to this guy and come here without telling me anything. I kept thinking that perhaps we had a chance and you never just came out and told me all this. Why, Rukia?!" _

_She shook her head, unable to find the voice._

"_Do you even love this guy?" he asked. _

_Rukia swallowed. "He is a good man, Ichigo. He cares about me…"_

"_I don't care what he thinks, Rukia. I'm asking about you." _

_Rukia bit her lip and looked downward. "I had no choice, Ichigo," she whispered. _

"_I don't believe you," he said quietly as she looked up. "From what I know of you, you have never been one to give in to others. You have always been head strong and done things that you wanted."_

"_I care about him too, Ichigo…" she choked out, trying to hide her shaking voice._

_Ichigo turned to her and placed his hands in his pocket as he continued to watch her. "But do you love him, Rukia?" _

"_Why does it matter to you, Ichigo?! I'm getting married to him and there is nothing you can do to change that!" she cried in exasperation. _

"_Like hell I can't." he said dangerously._

_Rukia sighed. "Please, Ichigo. Don't make this harder then it already is." _

_She was getting extremely tired, and she was glad to see Ichigo had stopped his argument when he noticed her exhaustion. _

_They stayed silent for a moment before he whispered, "Why, Rukia?" _

_She shook her head, still not looking at him._

"_It was a year ago when the elders of my family came to Nisama with a proposal for me from a noble family they were close to. It is tradition, for a noble to marry within the same ranks. I was an exception, however. I was never truly regarded as a Kuchiki because I was not born one," she added sadly. "But it was alright. I did not wish for any proposals either way, so it worked in my favor. Yet this family did not seem to care about such things. They still asked for my hand even knowing all this. Anyways, Nisama was not happy with the proposal, especially after I also made my wishes clear that I was not interested. But my Obasan was insistent that I agree. So much so that she had even invited the family to come and see me without Nisama's knowledge, which infuriated him. They got into a very bad argument one night. I was afraid of what would have happened. The next day, Nisama asked me what I wanted to do, if not to accept the proposal. I told him about…us…and he finally agreed to let me go to you." _

_She fiddled with her fingers lightly as Ichigo looked at her, his brow knitted with slight concern over what happened after._

_She smiled sadly and closed her eyes. "I remember feeling so guilty about leaving Nisama to deal with everything; Obasan, all the other elders, and the noble family that were arriving that day. But at that time, all I could think of was just meeting you. I searched for you that day, but it was difficult. I didn't even realize you had learned to suppress your reitsu so well," she smiled softly. _

_He nodded. "You always complained about how easily I allowed hollows to find me. I worked to make sure I didn't put anyone in danger because of it…"_

_Rukia continued to smile, "You have grown so much since we last saw each other, haven't you?"_

"_Yeah." He scratched his head slightly. _

_Rukia got up, crossed her arms as she paced around the room, this time her avoiding his gaze. "I finally sensed your presence at a festival that was going on nearby. I guess you let your guard down for a moment and I was able to find you. When I saw you with Shurei, I just felt so many emotions. Anger, confusion, hurt…I even thought of beating you up right then and there. But then I realized that perhaps this was how it should have been. You moving on with someone here and being able to stay with your family and friends, without ever having those regrets of leaving them."_

_Ichigo got up and walked over to her, grabbing her shoulders lightly and making her face him. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the close proximity, but stayed where she was. "What made you think that I would have such regrets? Why didn't you talk to me then, Rukia? At that time? Didn't you trust me enough to give me that?" _

_Rukia bit her lip before her eyes shifted to another side of the room. "I don't know, Ichigo. I told you at that time I was already overwhelmed with everything else that was going on. To see you with another woman…" her voice slightly faltered at this point and she couldn't say anymore. _

_Ichigo shook his head. "Che, and what about me, how I feel when I hear that you will be someone else's soon…"_

_He let go of her and stared at her for a moment. "I don't know what to say. I don't even know what to do anymore."_

"_I'm very sorry, Ichigo…"_

"_I need to be alone for a while, Rukia. I…I'm going to go take a walk. I don't know what to say right now…"_

_She nodded. "I can leave, if being here will cause problems for you…"_

_He shook his head as he walked over to the door. "No, get some rest, Rukia. I want to make sure you get to Soul Society safely, so if it's ok with you, I want you to stay here until we hear from Renji."_

_She stared at him hesitantly, "Are you sure? I really can leave if…"_

_His stare silenced her immediately. "At least allow me that much, Rukia. You can try getting in contact with Renji, but until then, just stay. You can stay in my room. It's going to be very cold tonight, so make sure you have more blankets."_

_Without waiting for a response, he opened the door and left quickly, before she could see the irritating tears stinging his eyes. _

---

Ichigo stayed silent when he heard a sound coming from his room, but it stopped a second later. He put his head on the pillow again as the apartment fell into silence again. It was going to be a very long night. He turned and stared vacantly at the ceiling, wondering what he would say to her when they saw each other again in the morning. What could he say? The shock and hurt was still there, and Ichigo knew that it would probably be too soon to bring it up without saying something he knew he would regret. But he had to do something. He had an odd feeling that there were things still being hidden from him. He tossed and turned a couple of more times, frustrated as the time seemed to go by so slowly.

Ichigo finally admitted defeat, knowing he just had to talk to Rukia again and see if anything could be done to change what had happened. He had waited so long for her, and he was not going to give her up so easily. He walked to the door, knocking softly and waited for a response. He felt guilty doing so since no sound came, and assumed she was sleeping. His hand quietly went to the doorknob, quietly opening the door. He went in slowly, a frown beginning to appear on his face as he got a better view of the room.

It was empty.

"Rukia?" He called out softly, looking at the bathroom door in hopes she was there. But that was open and empty as well. He walked over to the closet and found Kon sleeping peacefully there and turned. The bed was still made and his attention now turned to the open window. He felt his heart racing as he ran towards it and looked out. The realization of what had happened hit him hard.

She had left.

She didn't…she couldn't…

There had to be a mistake, he thought stubbornly. She had only gone for a moment. She would be back. She had to come back.

But as the minutes turned into hours, Ichigo felt his entire world crumbling.

---

_(Rukia's Flashback)_

_She had watched him leave, and it killed her to know that she had hurt him to that point. It would have been better had he yelled, screamed...anything. But he wouldn't do that. He could barely get any words out, and she found herself unable to do any better. She watched helplessly as he left, not being able to do anything to stop him. She walked over to her phone, tears now flowing freely down her face as she tried to get hold of Renji._

"_Damn you, Renji, pick up!" she yelled into the phone as it rang. Her sobs stopped when she heard his voice finally pick up. _

"_Oye, Rukia! I finally got this thing to work, how are you?!" he asked jovially._

_When he heard her muffled sobs, he went silent. "You told him?"_

"_I really hate you right now, Renji…" she whispered. _

_She heard him exhale slowly. "I'm sorry, Rukia. But he deserved to know."_

"_But he is so hurt, Renji…" _

_Renji snorted. "I'd have killed him if he didn't react at all. At least this confirms his feelings for you. He loves you, Rukia, and it's the reason that he is hurting right now. And from what I'm hearing, it's the same for you." _

_Rukia wiped her tears and leaned against the bed. "Don't…just don't, Renji…"_

_Renji snickered, "Don't what, Rukia? Tell you the truth? You might be running from these things to make what is happening easier to deal with, but you have to face the reality of things. From what I'm seeing, he loves you, you love him, and instead of just coming to terms with that, you are succumbing to the wishes of people who haven't given a single thought for you unless it was convenient for them." _

"_This is all easy to say, but things are not that simple, Renji…"_

"_I think they are, Rukia. It's just you are making them more complicated." _

_Rukia went silent for a moment as she played with a ruffle of her dress, noticing how Kon was hiding in the closet, afraid she would explode and set her anger on him. She sighed and clutched the phone closer, "Nisama…"_

"…_also wants your happiness, Rukia. If he was dead set on getting you married to this man, he wouldn't have let you come to see Ichigo in the first place." _

_Rukia's eyes widened slightly. "But…he sent me to get Ichigo's answer about whether he wanted to come or stay here."_

_Renji chuckled lightly. "You really believe so? You really think only you could have come to get an answer from him? I could have come on my own, you know. But he chose to send you too." _

_When she didn't answer, he sighed. "Just think it over, Rukia. The gate is set, so if you really feel that the best thing to do is to get married to this guy, then I'll come get you. If not...anyways, I'll wait for your answer. And don't worry, call me anytime…"_

_She turned the phone off, and stared at it. Kon had gotten out of his hiding spot and walked over slowly to Rukia, who was too absorbed in her thoughts to realize he had settled down next to her. _

_Along with Renji, Inoue's words repeated themselves to her again. "Do you love him, Kuchiki-san? When you do know, you will know exactly what you need to do."_

_---_

_Her eyes opened at the sound of the door outside being closed. She turned her head to see that it was nearly three in the morning. She pulled herself up and groaned at feeling her __puffy eyes__; she seriously felt annoyed at herself for allowing these human emotions to get the best of her. Kon was snoring in the closet as she gently got up and walked towards the door. She stayed there for a moment, debating whether to go and meet with Ichigo. He would probably be asleep by now. She turned her head towards the window, and turned away from the door. She quickly opened it, and jumped out. _

---

Ichigo couldn't believe she had left. She had left without a word. He rested his head in his hands, his head aching from the lack of sleep. But he was so angry.

How could she have just left?

He didn't realize how long he had sat there. He finally looked up wearily, his eyes narrowing at the clock, which showed that it was nearly five in the morning now. He heaved a heavy sigh and got up. His fists were clenched as he made his way to his kitchen. He tried to keep himself calm as he attempted to make coffee, but found little success as he nearly broke two cups in the process. He growled in a fit of anger, trying to calm his breathing. He just couldn't deal with this anymore.

Ichigo's eyes suddenly turned to the room when he heard movement. 'Probably Kon…' he snorted, finally able to get some coffee in a cup without breaking it.

But then he heard footsteps. Too loud to be Kon's…

The door opened very quietly. Ichigo could feel a lump in his throat as he tried to swallow. His eyes narrowed, wondering if what he was seeing was due to not getting any sleep the night before.

"Rukia?" he croaked.

She had walked in cautiously, looking in the direction of where he had been trying to sleep earlier. At the sound of his voice, she turned to him in surprise, her eyes widening.

"Ichigo?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo stayed rooted in his spot, still staring at her in disbelief. A few hours ago, he had been made to feel that she had left him without a word, without even a thought. And now here she was, watching him nervously as he put his cup down. His eyes never left hers, fearing that she would disappear again if he looked anywhere else. He didn't know what to feel. Why did she come back if she had wanted to leave him in the first place? Anger welled up inside him, and he knew he was going to get his answer right now.

"Where did you go?" he asked, causing her to finally look at him again.

"What do you mean?"

"You weren't in your room earlier," he said, and Rukia bit her lip.

"Oh…" she muttered, looking down. "I-I didn't think you would be awake this early."

Ichigo nodded, his fist slightly clenched. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep. I went to your room to talk, but you weren't there."

Rukia sighed deeply, seeing him trying so hard to control his anger. He knew she had left, and there was no point in trying to hide anything from him.

"Yes, I did leave. I got in contact with Renji last night, I went to see him. I wanted to tell you, but I thought you had already gone to sleep."

She could sense Ichigo's eyes linger on her at as she continued. "He told me the gate was ready and that if I wanted, I could go back to Soul Society. I came back because I had to tell you. I would have sooner had I known you were awake, but since it was so late…"

"I see." He turned quickly with his half finished coffee and placed it in the sink.

There was a long awkward silence as Rukia waited for anything. Any words from him.

"Ichigo?"

"I decided something last night, Rukia."

She lifted her eyes to look at him curiously as he turned to face her. "I don't know your feelings in all this. You say you are ready to marry this guy, yet your actions say something else. So, I've decided that I won't give up. I won't back away from my feelings for you. If you seriously mean that you won't regret marrying this guy, then you can choose to walk away right now and I will understand. But until you can give me an answer that I know is coming from your heart and something that will make you happy, I won't give up."

Inoue's earlier words echoed through her head… _"Do you love him? When you do know, you will know exactly what you need to do."_

He walked over to her, cupping her cheek gently in his hand. "Got it?" he asked firmly. Rukia stared into his eyes, seeing the warmth and love in them. He was still angry at her for hurting him, but he still refused to give her up. He still loved her. It was enough. Unable to say anything, Rukia nodded as he leaned in and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"_I do love him…I've always had…"_

He pulled away reluctantly. "So…are you…"

She smiled gently at him, noting how he had tensed the moment the words escaped his lips. He was trying to remain calm for her, but still watched her anxiously.

She gently took his hands in her, holding them tightly as she slowly moved to him and wrapped her arms around him. He did not make any movements, and she knew he was shocked by her actions.

"Rukia?"

"I'm staying…"

She could feel him still. She felt her cheeks turning slightly red, but kept her voice calm.

"I had gone earlier because Renji had said that it was safe to return," she muttered. "I went to Soul Society and discussed things with Nisama. It's the reason I was gone for so long. I did not get to speak to him for too long, but enough to let him know of my choice."

She felt him pull her slightly away as his hands moved to her cheek and gently lift her face to meet his. In his eyes she could see the shock and disbelief still at her words.

"Rukia, are you serious?" he asked, his voice slightly shaking.

She laughed lightly and nodded. "Yes, I am. We made a promise, didn't we? I'm sorry that I hurt you this much."

Ichigo choked back a sob as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace. "Yeah, we did." He was trembling slightly, still not daring to believe that this was happening. But the longer he held Rukia, the more he knew that this was not a dream. She had come back and they were going to be together.

Rukia smiled when his lips met hers. The tenderness in his kiss made any worry or doubt she had disappear. He held her tightly, almost possessively as his kiss deepened. She sighed deeply as his hands caressed her cheek, her hand gently wrapping around his neck. She could still feel him shaking slightly and pulled away from him. He looked annoyed and tried to kiss her again, but she just smiled softly and took his hand into hers, and pulled him inside his room. His eyes widened slightly as she pushed him gently on the bed, which caused her to roll her eyes and smack him playfully on the shoulder. "You look like you are going to pass out any moment," she said quietly, moving her tiny frame onto the bed next to him. "You need some sleep. We'll talk about everything later."

Ichigo pouted slightly as she pulled the covers over her. His head hit the pillow and he stared at her. She was not looking at him, but seemed to be in deep thought. He moved closer to her, placing his arms around her waist. For a moment, it seemed as if she would pull away, something that made Ichigo nervous.

Yet his fears was put to rest when she placed her head against his chest. Ichigo sighed in relief as he rested his chin on top of her head. They held each other tightly, trying to stay awake just a moment longer. But the steady breathing of Rukia let him know she had fallen asleep at last, and he too slowly drifted into the first peaceful sleep he had in a long time.

---

Ichigo woke to the bright sun rays that filtered through the curtains. He squinted and looked at the time, groaning when he realized it was almost noon. His attention was shifted suddenly when he felt movement beside him. Tilting his head to the right, Ichigo smiled softly when he found Rukia sleeping near him, curled up slightly in her blanket. Her face was half hidden by the blanket that was covering her, and her body moved slowly to the gentle rhythm of her breathing. She was still fast asleep, and Ichigo frowned slightly when he noticed the slight tinge of dark skin underneath her eyelids. It was clear she hadn't been sleeping well either. He allowed his hand to gently touch the side of her face, reveling in the fact that she was with him. His hand shifted slightly when she mumbled something, but she just buried her face more into the blanket. Ichigo sighed, his hand caressing her cheek once more before finally deciding to get up to eat something.

Pulling himself up gently, Ichigo stretched his sore muscles and made his way to the kitchen. As he got out some ingredients to prepare lunch with, he noticed there was a message left on the answering machine. With a loud yawn, Ichigo made his way to it and clicked the button, and found it to be a message from Yuzu.

_"__Oni-san__, how are you? I just wanted to make sure you were still coming with us to the festival tonight! And Rukia-nee too! We already have something for her to wear, so if she can come, then bring her over early so we can get her ready! And if she isn't coming, make sure she does! Oh, Karin is about to kick daddy again, so I better get going. Be sure to come!"_

Ichigo chuckled lightly as the message ended. Even though he was still so tired, he had never been happier then he was at that moment. He turned his head slightly to the door of his room, wishing Rukia would wake soon. Turning back to the kitchen, he began preparing some food for them.

Rukia raised her head slightly, narrowing her eyes as she tried to figure out where she was. Her eyes barely opened, but she could hear the faint sounds of plates and utensils clattering outside. She sighed softly, taking in the scent of the blanket that she knew was Ichigo's. The earlier events played back in her mind, causing her to smile. She was finally with Ichigo, and she had made her decision to stay with him. Yet strangely, with the happiness she felt, there was also a sudden feeling of nervousness and anxiety overwhelmed her.

Her brother had accepted her decision, but she knew that it would not be so easy. She could tell right away when Byakuya did not allow her to stay for more then the time needed for him to know she wished to stay with Ichigo. Rukia hoped that her aunt would not say anything more to him. But she knew that was not possible. Rukia sighed softly, not wanting to think too much into it right now. She was finally with Ichigo, and wanted to concentrate on repairing the damage for everything that had happened.

Though her entire body was weary from yesterday, she managed to pull herself up and walked quietly out the room. She found Ichigo in the kitchen, placing the food into plates for them.

Rukia smiled and walked over to him. "Hey."

Ichigo turned around quickly, nearly dropping the plate he had in his hand. She laughed and shook her head as she walked over to him, taking the plate from his hand. "You are too easily scared. How did you manage to fight hollows all this time?" she teased as she placed it lightly on the counter.

"I wasn't scared…" he grumbled. "I didn't hear you coming, that's all."

She grinned. "Were too…"

"Whatever." Ichigo chuckled as they stared at each other awkwardly. Ichigo was trying to find the right words to say, but found himself mumbling something inaudible as Rukia watched him curiously. He coughed slightly before looking at her again, noticing that she looked tired.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. Rukia lifted her head to meet his gaze. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Still waking up."

Ichigo watched her with concern as she gently took his hand into hers. "Maybe you should get some more sleep."

"I'm fine, Ichigo, really."

Ichigo sighed. There was just no point in trying to argue with her. He squeezed her hand tightly and shook his head when she gave a smug victory grin.

"Oh yeah," he said, staring at his phone. "There is a festival going on tonight near Yuzu and Karin's school. They wanted us to go with them. Do you think you are up for it?"

Rukia grinned widely as she helped Ichigo bring the food to the table. "Oh that sounds fun! Of course I want to go."

Ichigo stared at her for a moment before walking towards her "Okay, I'll let them know. We'll go meet them in a few hours…but until then…"

Rukia stilled when she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her close. She turned slightly when she felt him bury his face at the crook of her neck. They stood silently there, Ichigo breathing deeply and he held onto her as if letting her go would cause her to disappear.

"Ichigo?" she asked quietly. Her hands gently touched his and his hold tightened.

He turned her gently in his arms until she faced him. She watched him curiously as he looked into her eyes, and finally pulling her close. Their lips met again gently, as he cupped her face with his hands.

"Don't ever leave, okay?" he said quietly.

Rukia smiled. "I won't."

Ichigo's eyes met her, a cocky grin appearing on his face. "Good. I don't want to have to go chasing you all over the place again."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and hit him playfully on the arm. "Idiot."

His grin got wider as she sat down to eat. After finishing, Ichigo insisted she get some more sleep before going to his family's house. After a long argument, Rukia finally relented and grumbled lightly as she was forced to lay down on the bed. Ichigo chuckled as she crossed her arms in a huff and he laid down next to her. Pulling her closer, he sighed as he held her. After a moment, he felt her body get less tense and accept his embrace. She lifted her head lightly towards his. For a moment, her deep lavender eyes surveyed him. He felt slightly nervous under her curious gaze, wondering what she was thinking about. She finally smiled and kissed him gently on the lips, and wrapped her arms more tightly around him, falling asleep almost immediately. For a moment, Ichigo just stayed still, his hands instinctively brushing through Rukia's silky black hair. It felt so strange, and yet to perfect to be with her like this. He snorted lightly, thinking of how things would have been had he still been in his awkward teenage phase. But she seemed to have opened up to him so much now. He was glad as well, knowing that she was all he wanted and needed now.

It would take time, but knowing now that they had as long as they needed to begin their new relationship was enough for Ichigo.

---

It was nearly five in the evening as Ichigo waited impatiently downstairs for his sisters and Rukia to be ready. Yuzu had surprised Rukia with a beautiful yukata they had bought for her, and insisted she put it on for the festival. Rukia agreed, and all three had gone upstairs to get ready.

Ichigo sighed in frustration. It had been already two hours since they had been gone. How long did it take for them to get ready?!

He turned his head to yell again for the tenth time when he felt his throat go dry. Standing at the top of the staircase was Rukia, and Ichigo could barely find any words to say to her.

She was wearing a beautiful lavender yukata that fit her tiny figure perfectly. Her face bared no makeup, which accentuated her already soft features. A slight blush that crept up her cheeks and the vibrant color of her eyes contrasted her milky skin. Her hair was tied back slightly by a clip, which Ichigo thought made her look rather cute.

Her head was turned away from his, and was talking to the person behind her. A moment later, Yuzu's head stuck out from the hallway as the girls made their way down the stairs. Ichigo groaned when he heard his father enter and start squealing in delight.

"Oh! My three daughters look so stunning! Rukiachan, you look beautiful! I'm sure to have a few grandsons soon for sure with the way my boy here is staring at you!"

Ichigo glared at his father before lunging at him. They both continued to fight until Karin told them angrily to stop or they would never leave the house. As the others began walking towards the door, Rukia turned to him and smiled. "So how do I look, Ichigo?" she asked. Ichigo halted, noting right away that his family had stopped as well and were not watching the two with amusement. Kari was watching him with a smirk, while Yuzu and his father both had sparkles in their eyes as they waited for his answer. Ichigo could feel his face turning red and tried to will his face to change back to its natural shade. He could feel the heat of his face, which was not helped by the giggling of his sisters.

Rukia continued to watch him expectantly as he scratched his head. "You look…nice." He muttered.

Rukia stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. "Thanks." She said quietly, a small smile on her face as she walked past him and towards the front door. Ichigo stared after her and began walking when he felt two jabs on his shoulder. He rubbed his arm and looked angrily over at his sisters. "What was that for?!" he growled.

"Just nice?!" Yuzu sighed. "Oni-san…is that all you could think of?!"

Ichigo sighed in frustration. "Why? What was wrong with that?"

Karin shook her head as Yuzu looked at him in exasperation. "Rukia-nee took so long to get ready just for you, and you tell her she looked just nice?!"

Ichigo stared at his sisters and then to the door that Rukia had just left from. She had seemed fine when he had said that…or did she? Ichigo groaned and shook his head. What could he say in front of his father and sisters that wouldn't have them teasing him endlessly all night? Although he had to admit, he probably could have said something else.

"You are still our old Oni-san, no matter what," Yuzu joked. "Don't worry. I'm sure Rukia-nee has probably forgotten all about it by the time we get there…"

---

"Forgotten about it, indeed," Ichigo muttered as they walked through the booths, Rukia completely ignoring him as she walked in the front with his sisters, leaving him to listen to his father talk about how many grandchildren he could have. Rukia would answer any of his attempts at conversations, but for the most part, she remained silent. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the back of the petite shinigami. Sometimes she knew just how to infuriate him. The dark looks from his sisters were not helping much either.

After nearly two hours of silence, Ichigo growled in exasperation and walked over to her. He took her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction from where they were going. "Oye, Ichigo, what are you doing?" she asked as she turned to see his family slowly disappearing in the crowd. She continued to question him, but he ignored her words, earning him a harsh glare from her. They finally passed several of the crowds and began climbing a small hill. Rukia fumbled slightly at the uneven ground, but Ichigo kept a firm hold of her hand and kept her steady as they made their way to the top. Once there, Rukia gasped at the scenery in the front. They were just overlooking the vast lake, and the fireworks had just started, illuminating the entire sky. Ichigo watched the excited expression on her face, her eyes sparkling from the light of the fireworks and a smile on her face.

He coughed slightly, scratching his head as she turned her attention to him. "Oye, I brought you here for a reason actually."

She blinked a few times and he turned bright red. "You look...very pretty tonight, Rukia."

She stood there for a moment, an amused look on her face, and a slight tinge of red appearing on her cheeks as well. "Eh...Ichigo?" she questioned, and he grew annoyed that she was trying not to laugh.

He grumbled, "Well you were the one who got mad that I said you just looked nice. I had to say that at that time. My entire family was standing there...if I had said anything other then that, I don't even want to think what my dad would have made of it."

She smiled, and playfully punched him. "I wasn't mad at you, idiot."

He crossed his arm and frowned. "Then why were you ignoring me almost the entire night?!"

She shrugged and turned to face the fireworks again, a smirk still on her face. Ichigo narrowed his eyes and sighed in frustration. He just couldn't win with her. His mood was still a bit sour until he felt her warm fingers entangling with his and he looked at her. She still did not meet his gaze, and he smiled when he saw the slight blush on her face. He wrapped his hands around hers and pulled her slightly to him. She finally looked at him curiously.

Ichigo sighed and remained silent, his hand placed gently on her cheek. She looked so beautiful. And most importantly, she was with him.

"Rukia, I..."

His words were drowned by the last loud explosion as the cheers below began. "Che," he muttered with irritation before turning back to Rukia. Yet her attention had suddenly shifted slightly past him and within moments, her face had lost all color. Ichigo raised his brow, turning also to look at what was happening.

Four figures were ascending up the hill that Ichigo and Rukia were situated at. On closer look, Ichigo recognized the man in the front as Renji, but could not discern who the others were. Two of them in the back looked very much alike, clad in unusual shinigami attire and both enormous in size. The man in the middle was completely different from all of them. He was of a tall stature, demanding attention and having a strange and overpowering aura above him. His eyes, almost cold and lifeless, were set upon Rukia as a smile began to appear on his lips. Ichigo felt Rukia back away a step and turned to her. She could sense her nervousness and her eyes were slightly wide from shock as she watched the figures approaching.

"Rukia, what is the matter?" he asked as he turned again to the men. "Who are those guys with Renji?"

"Ichigo..." she began, her voice slightly quivering, and her hand immediately released his as he looked at her.

"That's Takeshi Yamada...the man I was engaged to..."

_To be continued…_

_

* * *

  
_

_A/N: Bwahaha? (looks nervously around) I hope I didn't lose anyone with this chapter. I'm so sorry for it being so late. I was trying to finish an entry for a Halloween contest, so I was not able to update. But rest assured, the next chapter will be out much sooner, as I have already started writing it. Thank you everyone who commented and reviewed. They are extremely appreciated and I love all those who have stuck by with the story up to now. Thanks also to my wonderful beta, Ava, for once again, making this readable hehe. _


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**

* * *

  
**

Ichigo stared at the man standing before him. He could sense Rukia moving closer to him as the man's eyes turned to her.

"What does he want?" Ichigo asked quietly.

Rukia shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered. She turned to see Ichigo's furious expression and took his hand into hers. "Just don't do anything...rash, okay?"

Ichigo turned his head to retort, but on seeing her pleading look, he sighed.

Renji was the first to approach them, his face looking grim and tired. Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "What is going on, Renji?"

Before Renji could say a word, the man bowed his head slightly and turned to face Rukia. "Rukia-san, I apologize for coming unannounced. I hope you are doing well."

Rukia nodded slightly, her eyes looking away from his.

He continued to look at her, his lips pursing. "I have just come to inform you that your brother has suddenly fallen very ill. Your presence is requested by your aunt. I have been asked to escort you back to meet with your brother."

Rukia's eyes widened and turned to Renji, who nodded. She looked from Ichigo to Renji, her lips slightly quivering. "Nisama...is he alright? What happened?"

Renji sighed. "He became ill after you left, Rukia. Captain Unohana-san is still attending to him. You aunt wants you to return immediately as your brother is asking for you." His eyes softened when he saw her nervousness. "Don't worry. I have been told by your brother to bring you right back once you meet him."

Ichigo stepped forward. "Then I will come as well with Rukia."

Takeshi's eye's narrowed. "I'm sorry, but only Rukia-san's presence is required. Not of any other...commoner," he sneered, causing Ichigo to step forward.

Rukia tried to hold him back, but saw him reaching in his pocket for his shinigami badge. "Ichigo, don't you dare use that! It will just result in a needless fight."

"That's fine by me," he gritted his teeth, still trying to pull his shinigami badge out to use. Renji walked forward and pushed Ichigo back a bit. "Oye, take it easy." Takeshi watched him closely, his own hand extending to his sword as the two behind him approached with their own swords ready. Rukia's eyes widened as Renji noticed as well and blocked their paths, his hand also reaching for his zanpaktou. "That's enough," he said quietly.

"Put down your swords. This is between us," Takeshi said coldly, motioning his hand towards Rukia and Ichigo.

They glared at one another, Ichigo having to be constantly restrained by Rukia. It was only after her whispered plea to calm that he finally relaxed and stood protectively in front of her. She quickly took his hand and pulled him away from the others, watching as the crowd below began to slowly disperse.

Ichigo stood fuming in his spot, his eyes watching Takeshi. "Something is up, Rukia. I don't like it."

Rukia looked at him sadly. "I know. But this is no place to be starting an argument, or worse, a fight between you and them. You know they will not back down if something was to happen, Ichigo. And if Nisama is really ill, I need to make sure he is okay too. I will be fine."

Renji approached them and turned to Ichigo. "Listen, Ichigo. Takeshi-san is right. At this moment, it's just best to let Rukia go...but..." he added as Ichigo opened his mouth to retort. "I have already been given the responsibility to bring her back here. And I will..."

"I still don't see why I cannot go," he growled, staring at the men suspiciously.

Renji narrowed his eyes. "You honestly think those goons are here for nothing, Ichigo? I know you think you can take them on, but you can't. Not all of them, and certainly not here where there are many people around who can get hurt. Why do you think I made sure to come as well? They are here to make sure no trouble is brought up in bringing Rukia back with them."

Ichigo grew furious and was about to argue, but the warning look on Renji's face silenced him. He stared in frustration at the smug look on the man and then at Rukia, who also nodded reluctantly. "I will come back soon," she whispered to him, taking his hand into hers.

Ichigo could feel the man watching them carefully, and drew her close to him. The look on Takeshi's face was enough for Ichigo to know that he had noticed and Ichigo grinned at the man. He let her hand go reluctantly and she gave him a small smile.

As Rukia walked towards Renji, the man inched his head fractionally to the side where one of his guards stood and made a small nod. Renji quickly stilled and looked over to Rukia. "Why don't you go ahead, Rukia. I need to talk to Ichigo for a moment."

The man's eyes turned coldly to Renji. "You were asked to escort Rukia-san back, Abarai-san."

Renji bowed his head slightly. "I apologize. I will certainly follow in a moment, but there is some pressing matters I need to talk to with this human."

Takeshi stood for a moment, his eyes challenging both Renji and Ichigo before turning without a word and leading Rukia away. Ichigo watched as Rukia turned once more to look at him before disappearing amongst the crowd. He turned to Renji, shaking with anger. "If anything happens to her, Renji…"

Renji snorted. "You think you are the only one concerned, Ichigo? I told you, I will take care of her and make sure nothing happens. But there really wasn't anything we could do right now. If not now, they would have gotten her to go back sooner or later. Let's just hope Taicho gets well soon and allows me to bring her back."

Ichigo's eyes turned to where Rukia had disappeared, his fists clenched.

---

Rukia walked behind Takeshi as he led her down the narrow hallway towards her brother's room. There was nothing but silence, though Rukia was aware that there were eyes watching her in the shadows. When the arrived, Rukia found Captain Unohana standing by the door as she spoke to one of the servants. On seeing Rukia, Unohana smiled gently and approached her.

"I hope you are well, Kuchikis-san. He is resting and I can assure you, he will be fine."

Rukia swallowed a lump that had been forming in her throat and nodded. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Her eyes widened when she felt Unohana's grip on her hand tighten slightly, but the warm smile did not leave her face. "We can speak on the matter later. For now, all I know is that he became ill after breakfast. But do not worry, he is in no danger. I'm sure he will be happy to see you again. Why don't you go inside?"

Rukia nodded and walked inside as Takeshi escorted Unohana out. She entered and found him sleeping. Kneeling before him, she took his hand.

"I am so sorry, Nisama. This is my fault," Rukia whispered. Her brother looked so helpless; something that Rukia had barely ever seen and wished to never see.

Her eyes opened when she felt his hand gently tighten on hers. His lips were moving, but his eyes were still shut close. She could barely discern what was being said, but could sense him trying to say her name. She gently placed her cool hand on his forehead, which seemed to calm him slightly.

"Kuchiki-sama?"

Rukia turned to find an elderly man standing nervously at the door. "Your aunt is requesting your company."

Rukia nodded, gently letting go of Byakuya's hand as she got up. She followed the old man through the hallway, her heart beating rapidly with each step towards her aunt's room. Leiko Kuchiki was a member of the family who had always loathed Rukia from the day she had been adopted, treating her as if she was no better then the lowest filth of Soul Society. They had barely ever spoken with each other, which was good for Rukia. Even with the proposal, she had not seen her aunt as much, but she knew that her defiance was the reason for her aunt taking a more active role in the Byakuya's affairs.

They finally reached her room, entering upon the summon of the aged woman.

The room was illuminated with only a few candles, and a light breeze flickered through the drawn doors. The servant led Rukia to the back of the room, where she found her aunt sitting. Rukia stood still as she waited to be acknowledged, as the woman in front of her sipped her tea slowly. Finally, a very light motion was made to sit, and Rukia obeyed immediately. Although the room was large and beautiful, Rukia felt suffocated, yearning to be anywhere but here. She could feel her aunt's eyes on her, and kept hers downcast.

Rukia looked up finally when she heard a soft clatter in front of her. A small cup was placed before her, and a servant gently poured some tea. Rukia thanked the girl quietly as her aunt coughed to gain her attention.

"Drink," she commanded quietly. Rukia nodded and took a small sip of the scalding tea, feeling the burn it left behind.

"Do you know why you are here?"

Rukia nodded. "I was called because Nisama was ill."

The woman pursed her lip slightly, a very quiet chuckle resounding from her, sending a chill unknowingly through Rukia's spine. "Yes. Byakuya. He really doesn't take his health very seriously, now does he?"

Her eyes turned to Rukia, piercing them with her icy stare. "But my question was not why you are in Soul Society. It is why you are here, with me. Your brother...shared some very interesting developments this morning."

Rukia felt her breathing stop, her eyes widening slightly as a sneer appeared on her aunt's face. "Imagine my surprise when I learned that my nephew defied my orders by refusing a proposal that I had picked out for you. A proposal that would have probably found some use for you after all."

Leiko stood up, turning away and walking towards the open door, shutting it quietly. "You and your sister have always been a curse on this family," she murmured. Her eyes turned to Rukia, who could do nothing but stay rooted in her position.

"Did you know that before your sister entered my nephew's life, he was to be engaged as to someone else?"

Rukia's shook her head as Leiko smiled coldly.

"Yes. It was to the daughter of a very old friend of our family. His own clan was falling under harsh times, losing their status of nobility due to the questionable behaviors of some of their members. Yet my husband was very close to them. The daughter was of great beauty and refined manners, despite the harsh times they were going through. She was the perfect choice for my nephew. But in the end, he shocked us all by declaring himself to be in love with some commoner. He married her, despite the objections of his family."

Leiko took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "The girl's family was livid, to put it lightly. Everything had been prepared for the union of our two families. What was worse was that the day after the news broke out, we learned that their daughter also ended her own life after learning that she would not wed Byakuya. He was not aware of what occurred. Even though they were very angry, they agreed to keep the matter quiet. We felt it as a stroke of luck, being that it would have completely destroyed our name. But their loss was something that still has haunted us all these years. They had forgiven, but certainly not forgotten. They used what happened for their own benefit."

She looked vacantly out the window. "It has been a very...tiresome burden."

Rukia swallowed when her aunt turned to look at her. "I was very disappointed in my nephew, and even more so when he added more insult by bringing you into this household. You may have been accepted as a Kuchiki by others, but never by me. But I cannot ignore the fact that it is you that is the key to ending this absurd grievance we have found ourselves in. For some unknown reason, their youngest son showed an interest in you, and they were willing to forget all past occurrences if we agreed to give your hand to him."

Leiko turned to Rukia and walked over to her. Her long, slender fingers grasped Rukia's chin and pulled her face up. "I did not tell you this earlier because I felt you would obey my orders without fail. Yet this doesn't seem to be possible. I will not let another brat of such inferior birth ruin the one chance I have to be rid of this hindrance that has been hanging over my head all these years. If I see you disobey me once more, I will make sure you and the reason you defied me is erased from existence forever. If I see you running after that…filth of a ryoka …again…"

A slight cough made both turn to the door. An elderly man stood by the doors, a smile spreading on his face as his eyes turned to Rukia. She shifted uncomfortably at his gaze and moved slightly over as he made his way to her aunt. She knew him to be one of Takeshi's uncles when he was introduced to her earlier. Yet even though he was the most jovial by nature, she could not shake off the feeling of a strange coldness that she felt from him whenever he was near. She bowed lightly when his attention turned to her.

"Kuchiki-san, it is so wonderful to see you! I apologize for not having gotten an opportunity to see you on our last visit."

Rukia smiled and bowed her head respectively, yet not saying a word as her aunt interrupted immediately. "Ah, our dear Rukia was away for a few days on an assignment. But she is back now and the preparations can resume."

Rukia opened her mouth but lost her voice at the look her aunt gave. Before she could do anything, the two were speaking once more about the wedding as they made their way out into the hallway, leaving her alone.

She felt herself collapsing on the floor as she fought to calm her breathing. She had known it, but didn't want to believe it. It was all a trap. She knew it the moment she had met Unohana; she had not said anything, but Rukia understood. She began to feel anger boil inside her at the thought that her own brother's life was used to bring her back like this.

"Ichigo…" she whispered. What would his reaction be if she did not return? Would he know something was very wrong? Even if he did, what could he do? She knew that her aunt was very serious in her determination to make certain nothing happened to ruin the plan she had set in motion. If he came, she knew he would be in danger.

She quickly got up, determined to find Renji. She knew he could help her find a way to get out of this. They would probably have to wait until Byakuya was well enough again, but until then, they had to stall. Her small feet made barely any noise as she walked through the hallways. She stopped abruptly when two figures came out of the shadows to stand before the door. Her heart pounded when she realized it was the same two men who she had accompanied Takeshi to get her. They bowed lightly and one spoke. "We are sorry, Kuchiki-san. On orders of your aunt, you are not allowed to leave the house without her permission."

"What?!" Rukia blurted out, stepping closer and finding them blocking her path.

"We are sorry, Kuchiki-san, these are our orders."

She felt her lips quivering as they bowed again, yet refusing to move from their positions. Knowing there wasn't any way to get past them, she turned and walked away. She stopped in front of her brother's room, and looked in to find him still sleeping. "Nisama…" she whispered.

---

Ichigo sighed in frustration as he slammed the phone down again. It had been two days now since he last saw Rukia. Two days that Renji had said he would bring her back safely. Yet he still had not heard a word from them. Not a single word about how Rukia was, where she was, or when she would be returning. He couldn't even go to Soul Society to see what had happened to her since Urahara had left. All he could do was call Renji repeatedly, and even then he could not get a hold of him. He got up and paced the room again as Kon watched him curiously from the couch.

'_Please be okay, Rukia…if anything happens, I swear I'll find a way to get to you.'_

_---_

The wind howled as the thick, grey clouds thick loomed overhead, threatening a downpour. Rukia looked up, remembering a time before when the rain had brought nothing but despair to her and the ones she loved. She turned down the narrow winding path and walked quietly, the strong winds lashing at her.

Rukia stilled when she heard faint footsteps enter the garden, and approach her. She did not even need to turn to know it was Renji.

"Rukia, what is going on? I came to take you back to Ichigo, but I wasn't even allowed to meet you."

Rukia sighed softly, tightening the hold of her shawl as the cold morning air drifted through the garden. She continued to walk down the path wearily, Renji close on her heels. Her eyes lingered momentarily towards the entrance of the garden, making sure they were not being followed. After making certain they were alone, she turned to face him.

Renji's eyes narrowed at her state. Her eyes were swollen and red, her once glowing skin pale from sickness. She could barely stand on her own weight, relying on objects around her to keep her steady. Yet the thing that surprised him most was the look in her eyes; one that showed her defeated and tired soul. He exhaled deeply and put his hands on her shoulder. "What happened, Rukia?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head. "That is for later…Is Ichigo okay?"

Renji's grip tightened. "He is fine. Rukia, what happened?"

She clutched her shawl tighter, biting her lip. "I don't have much time, Renji. I don't know what to do. Nisama…"

After telling him of everything that had passed between her and her aunt, Renji let out a frustrated sigh. "I knew it. I grew suspicious the moment taicho just suddenly became ill after he had met with her."

Rukia nodded. "She is very angry and I don't want to risk Nisama's and Ichigo's life because of this. I was just too stupid. I shouldn't…so many things just went so wrong."

Renji shrugged. "You didn't know, Rukia. What we need to figure out is how to get you back to Ichigo."

"I already told you, Renji, I can't. You saw how determined they were to bring me back in the first place. I'm being watched now all the time. I had to sneak out just to see you. And…I can't leave Nisama in this condition."

Silence ensued until Renji coughed lightly. "So then, what should I tell Ichigo?"

Rukia looked around wearily when she heard a sound in the distance and shook her head urgently. "Just…stall. Until Nisama is better, I won't be able to do anything. But as soon as he gets better, I'll think of something. Just…make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Renji snorted. "Easier said then done."

Rukia sighed. "Just watch out for him, okay? I need to get back to my division. It's the only place that I'm allowed to go to so I'm going to make the most of it."

Renji nodded. "Alright. I'll let Ichigo know and we'll work something out until Taicho is better."

Rukia nodded. "Thank you, Renji."

---

Ichigo grabbed the phone even before the first ring finished.

"Renji! You finally called! Where the hell are you?! Where is Rukia?!"

There was a moment of silence before Renji spoke. "Ichigo, we need to meet. We have a problem."

Ichigo raised his brow, anger welling up inside him. He knew it. Rukia came to his mind instantly, and he sighed into the phone. "Is Rukia okay?"

"She is. But I need to meet with you right now."

Ichigo noted down the location and headed out as soon as he turned off the phone. Renji had assured him Rukia was alright, but Ichigo knew from the tone of Renji's voice that something was very wrong. He gripped the handle of the car wheel as he drove, wishing that he could see her right now. Just to make sure she was okay.

He finally approached the park where they had met earlier and went out to look for him. He found Renji standing at the same spot near the tree, hidden.

"Oye," he muttered. "What is going on?"

Renji motioned for him to follow and they made their way down through the park. He relayed everything that Rukia had told him to Ichigo, who appeared livid. He knew he should have taken care of those three from the very beginning. After Renji was finished, he looked over to find Ichigo staring blankly at the ground, his hand fisted angrily as he was in his own thoughts.

"What are you planning to do, Ichigo?" Renji asked, his brow raised as Ichigo looked up at him.

"I'm going to go get her, that's what. There is no way I'm going to let her get married to that guy."

Renji snorted and crossed his arm. "How do you plan to do that? They are watching you, Ichigo. Talking to you is putting you in enough danger as it is, but Rukia wanted you to know what was going on. Do you honestly think they will allow you to roam freely in Soul Society?"

His eyes widened when Ichigo grinned. "They won't have a choice."

---

"You don't look well, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia turned her head towards the door to see Captain Ukitake walk in. Her tired eyes shifted back to the paper work that was on her desk. "I am alright, taicho. There was just so much work that piled up in my absence. I'm sorry."

She heard a soft chuckle as Ukitake walked over to her, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. "Do not worry over it. You had your reasons. But right now, you should really be resting. You have been growing paler by the day."

Rukia smiled weakly as she rubbed her eyes. "I have not been well, yes. But I think being here helps keep me busy and my mind off of things. Please do not worry over me, Ukitake-san."

Ukitake sighed, shaking his head lightly. _'How can I not worry?' __as he watched her return to her work, her eyes filled with a sadness he wished he would never have to see._

---

Night fell as the moon illuminated the alleys of Sereitei, leaving a hushed silence other then the few shinigamis on patrol. Outside the walls, the gatekeeper Jidanbou, worked furiously to not nod off from his post. His eyes slowly slipped down, not realizing the two figures in hoods walking up to him.

"You think this is a good idea? I say we just enter the way we did the first time?"

The second figured snorted. "Oh yeah, we can really sneak in that way, Ganju."

Ganju narrowed his eyes at the figure and walked over, making sure to bump his shoulder hard for emphasis on his annoyance. "Since when have you become such a careful one, eh?"

He walked up to the sleeping Jidanbou and poked him hard, earning a grunt from the giant before them. Jidanbou opened his eyes in annoyance and stared angrily at the two figures.

"You better have a very good reason for waking me or I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable existence. Who are you?!"

Ganju snorted and yawned as the man next to him took off his cloak, earning a surprised look from the gatekeeper.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. Open the gates."

_  
__To be continued._

_

* * *

  
_

_A/N: I'm sorry I posted this later then expected lol. I have been ill these past few weeks, so such a bbiiiigg thank you to my best buddies Ava and Janina for reading through this and helping me in more ways then I can ever express. Thank you both! *HUGS* Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments and reviews. They are very helpful and very appreciated. Hope you enjoy!_


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

The stars blanketed the evening sky as night descended upon Soul Society. Jinbandou, the gatekeeper that watched over one of the main gateways to the city of Seiretei watched as the lights in the town began to slowly extinguish, allowing only the luminous stars to bring light to the barren roads before him. Yawning deeply, he leaned slightly back and fought not to fall asleep. Ever since the wars had ended, not much had changed or happened that needed attention from him or the other members of the division. Peace had finally came to the city but a part of him could not help but feel bored by having to sit and do nothing nearly every day at his post.

His eyes slowly slipped down, not realizing the two figures in hoods walking up to him. It was not until he felt a hard poke in his ribs that his eyes snapped open, angered at who would dare to disturb him in such a manner. There were two figures standing before him, one of a tall stature that stood a few feet away while the one that had apparently poked him was carrying a rather large bag that the gatekeeper could have sworn had something inside that was moving.

"You better have a very good reason for waking me or I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable existence. Who are you?" Jinbandou growled, yawning slightly as he stretched his aching muscles. If it came to be, he would need to be prepared to fend off against these new intruders who did not appear to be intimidated by him. The figure in the back even walked forward until he was right in front of the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper's face turned into astonishment as the cloak fell, revealing a face he did not think he would ever see again. Yet the boy he had met all those years ago now stood before him, bearing the same confidence and stance he had the first time as he declared clearly, "Kurosaki Ichigo. Open the gates."

Jinbandou eyed him curiously before allowing a smile to appear on his face. "Kurosaki Ichigo, it has been many years since we last met."

Ichigo nodded, returning the smile. "Ah. I see you are still here as well."

The giant nodded, motioning towards the towering pristine walls. "Yes, I remained at this post. Things have certainly changed since then, but it seems you still are the same."

Ganju walked over to Ichigo and crossed his arms. "See, I told you. Sis and I agreed that you wouldn't last two minutes here without stirring up some trouble again like last time." He grumbled as he struggled to keep the bag he had in his hands.

Ichigo turned, a scowl appearing on his face. "What? Like you are any better! Last time we were here, you caused more trouble then me!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

A slight cough made them turn to find the gate raised and Renji standing before them, watching them in annoyance. "If you don't mind, I really do not wish to wake up all of Seiretei with you two. It was difficult enough to keep things quiet about you coming and I don't want that all to be a waste."

The two scowled and after bidding the gatekeeper a hasty goodbye, followed Renji quietly into the city. Other then a few shinigamis who were set out for patrol, the city was enveloped in silence. The light scuffling of their shoes were the only sound that echoed through the narrow passageways as they carefully made their way through the maze. Ichigo took the time to allow his attention to wander around.

It had been well over five years since he walked down the streets of Seiretei, yet it seemed nothing had changed since he was last there. The pathways though were unusually barren of life as they moved forward. Ichigo never did see the city so still, what with his earlier presence always causing enough stir to always bring chaos at the oddest hours. The image of Kenpachi immediately came and he remembered always being hunted down for a match. This thought alone made him turn around wearily to make certain that the captain was not lurking anywhere in the shadows. However there was no one but Ganju behind him, scowling as he dragged himself behind them. Ichigo grew annoyed as they slowed down for him but he ignored them completely as he muttered curses under his breath.

Ichigo looked around nervously again. "Eh, Renji, does anyone besides Ukitake-san know I am here right now?"

He heard Renji chuckle. "Don't worry, Kenpachi Taicho was not made aware of your arrival but I'm sure the news will have spread all over. I'd start watching my back tomorrow."

Ichigo groaned and shook his head, making certain to keep his presence hidden for as long as possible. His attention quickly turned to the path they were taking and realized that it was moving further away from the Kuchiki manor and stopped abruptly. "Oye, Renji, its this way, isn't it?"

Renji stopped him immediately and sighed irritably. "It is, but we aren't going there yet."

Ganju groaned and slumped against the wall as Ichigo crossed his arms. "Why not?"

"It's too late to be barging in there right now. I already checked up on her before I headed here," he added, knowing that Ichigo was about to retort. "Thankfully being the vice captain of Byakuya-san is enough to allow me to enter the Kuchiki manor. Though I am only restricted to going there for dealing with affairs of the division, I still manage to visit Rukia when she isn't being watched."

Ichigo stopped, his brow raised. "She is being watched? She is alright, isn't it?" he asked, looking over his shoulder a few times to where he could sense her lingering reitsu.  
Renji nodded as he too looked in the same direction. "I wouldn't let anything happen to her, Ichigo." He stated quietly, and Ichigo could hear the frustration laced into his voice as well and remained silent. "She was fine, though exhausted with everything that has been going on with her brother. I left her with Captain Unohana, who is also keeping an eye out for anything that might be suspicious. Just right now is not a good time to be going there since they are pretty much already aware that you are here and there is no point pissing them off even more by visiting at this time of night."

Ichigo shrugged as he began walking towards the manor. "If they already know that we are in Seiretei, I'm sure they will be expecting us there as well," he added with a smirk. "Wouldn't want to disappoint them, would I?"

Renji sighed in exasperation, staring into the night sky and realizing just why Rukia had forbidden him to bring Ichigo here. He knew he was going to be in for an earful, especially if she had already become aware of his being here. But it was too late for that, and they needed to move more quickly to figure a way out of this mess.

Turning, he scowled when he found Ichigo already walking away without a word.

"Oye, Ichigo, we have to go see Ukitake-san first!"

Ichigo waved his hand dismissively as he continued without stopping. "Ah, after I see Rukia."

Renji tried to call out for him again, but Ichigo disappeared into the darkness. Crossing his arm, he turned and growled in anger when he noticed the other man, Ganju, had also gone missing. "Rukia is going to kill me…" he muttered, rubbing his head as he made his way in their direction.

**…**

Rukia woke with a start as a strange feeling coursed through her body. Slightly dazed, she looked around to find her brother still sleeping in his bed. Night had already descended as the candles illuminated the room.

_'I can't believe I allowed myself to fall asleep like that,'_ she thought bitterly as she massaged her temple.

She leaned against the wall, supporting herself as sleep slowly began to subside. Idly, her hands searched for the zanpaktou that she had placed nearby. Her eyes lingered at Byajuya's form as he groaned lightly before falling back into a deep sleep. Captain Unohana had returned a few times since her arrival to check up on him and Rukia was relieved to know that her brother had been recovering from his illness. His eyes had opened momentarily but he could not speak due to the weakness that had still consumed him. Though it pained her to see him in this condition, Unohana had reassured her that he would get better very soon. Yet not one to trust her brother's life once more to anyone else, she had been staying by his side since she had come.

Once she was fully alert, her concentration turned to what was it that woke her in the first place. That strange, yet familiar feeling coursed through her again and she raised herself slightly. It was then that she sensed the reitsu, yet she dared not consider it. He couldn't have been that foolish, could he?

Rukia shook her head at that notion. No, she had already made certain with Renji that he would not allow Ichigo to risk his life in coming here. He wouldn't. Even though he had done it numerous times before even though she told him not to, he had to listen to her now.

"_Please tell me he wouldn't…"_ she murmured, knowing fully well how useless that statement was.

It was then that a deafening noise nearly shook the entire house. Rukia gasped and steadied herself as she stared at the door from where the commotion had come from.

Within moments, there were several urgent footsteps running about in the hallway outside. The door to the room slid open and a panic stricken servant entered. "Kuchiki-sama, it seems an intruder has entered the premises! The guards are heading to where the disturbance was heard but I wanted to make sure everything is alright here."

Rukia nodded, still calming her breath. She could feel her heart hammering inside her chest as her suspicion was confirmed. She paused for a moment as she looked back at her brother, before turning to the servant in front of her. "Make certain that nisama remains safe. I will return very soon."

The servant began to stutter a protest, but she already had the zanpaktou in her hand and made her way out into the hallway. No one seemed to have noticed, as the entire place seemed to be in an uproar with all the servants and guards running past one another to capture the intruder.

There were screams and shouting everywhere, and once or twice Rukia could have sworn she heard the word "pig", but had no time to get the details from the servants. In the chaos that ensued, she attempted to discern the one reitsu that she was searching for. It was very faint, but she could sense it very close. The path led to the garden that was beyond the manor, where strangely there were no guards there that should have been patrolling the area.

She closed the door leading to the hallway, silencing the the noise that was coming from inside. Looking around suspiciously, she made certain once more that there was no one besides her in the courtyard before pulling her zanpaktou out carefully from the hilt. There was no mistaking who it was this time.

She listened carefully, listening for any movement or sound that seemed out of place. Just then, a light motion within the south side of the garden caught her eye and she quickly made her way to it, only to have a hand grab her and cover her mouth. Her eyes widened as she attempted to release herself from the assailant's hold, but their grip was strong and she could feel herself becoming suffocated. Thoroughly angered, she attempted to fight back and heard a soft grunt as her elbow was able to make contact with his chest, but he continued dragging her to the corner of the wall. Her eyes widened at the bright mop of orange hair that seemed to stand out amongst all the green foliage around them.

His eyes were locked on hers as they remained still while some more muffled voices passed through the hallways. When the garden was silent once more, he removed her hand. Ready to begin the speech he had been planning since he arrived, Ichigo was met instead by a smack on his shoulder and a very angered Rukia. "Baka! You almost suffocated me!"

Ichigo looked at her flushed face and scratched his head. "Ah, sorry about that, but I wanted to make sure you didn't scream or hit me with a kidou."

He waited as she forced her breathing to calm, cringing at the glare she was giving him and knowing fully well how much this was going to hurt after.

"Ichigo, what are you doing here?" she whispered urgently, looking around the garden to make sure no one had heard them.

"To see you, what else?" he muttered, annoyed as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him deeper into the foliage.

She looked at him with exasperation. "Do you know how dangerous this is, Ichigo? All of the servants are looking for whoever broke in here in the middle of the night. And didn't Renji give you my message about waiting until things settled down first?"

"And let you deal with whoever is trying to kill Byakuya and you? I don't think so, Rukia," he whispered in anger, matching her equally frustrated brow.

"Ichigo…" Rukia stared at him with pleading eyes, unable to find the words that could persuade him. Truth was that while she knew it was dangerous to have him here, there was a surge of relief and comfort knowing he was there with her.

His features softened slightly as he surveyed her expression and his hands touched her cheek lightly. "I'm not leaving, Rukia." He said quietly, his voice calm yet a sense of finality within them that she knew there was no point in arguing.

She smiled as their foreheads touched, "I know you won't."

Their heads quickly turned at the sound of voices near the entrance of the gate and they waited with bated breath until silence filled the night sky once more. They remained silent for a moment before Ichigo took her hand into his, giving it a light reassuring squeeze as she looked at him. "How is Byakuya?"

She shook her head lightly. "I…don't know. He is doing better then when I had first arrived but he still hasn't woken up. Unohana Taicho doesn't know how long it will either. I can't leave him while he's in this state."

Ichigo breathed deeply and nodded. "I know. We'll try to figure something out and I'll see if Renji-"

"Ichigo, if they find out you are here…" she began, but he silenced her.

Grinning, he kissed her softly. "Che, that won't matter soon enough…"

"Are you two love birds done yet?" A voice called out urgently.

Rukia and Ichigo turned and looked around to find the source of the voice, each grabbing their zanpaktou. It was then that something hard hit Ichigo's head and he growled in anger before turning to look upward at the wall that closed off the garden.

Ganju was struggling to get to the top of the wall from the other side as he looked at them impatiently. "I let Bonnie loose, but it's only a matter of time before they catch us. I think some of them caught sight of me heading this way. Are you leaving or not?"

Rukia's mouth was agape. "Ganju? You…" She blinked, realizing what he was saying. "You let Bonnie loose in here? How did you -?"

Before Ganju could answer, his hand seemed to slip off the wall and they heard a loud thud and cursing a moment later. Ichigo rolled his eyes and turned to Rukia. "Are you sure about this, Rukia?"

She nodded and Ichigo could clearly see the exhaustion in her eyes. His hands cupped her face as his thumbs slowly encircled her cheeks, frowning at the dark circles under her eyes. Frustration took over when he realized how powerless he felt at not being able to set everything right for them. He just wanted her to be safe but he knew that she wasn't going to listen to him and it was best to just keep an eye on her from where he could. The sound of the garden doors opening alerted them to the entrance of several guards. Without a word, Ichigo leapt out of view.

Rukia turned quickly to face the guards as they filtered through the garden, staring at her in surprise. "Um, I thought I heard something in the garden, but it seems there isn't anyone here."

The guards stared at her suspiciously, to which she stared back defiantly and grabbed her zanpaktou. "I have searched this entire area. We should use our time to search the rest of the premises," she ordered clearly. The men looked around for a moment before nodding and following her inside.

_Ichigo…you better be careful…_

...

Try as she might, Rukia had not been able to sleep the entire night. The thought of Ichigo being discovered lingered in her mind, not allowing her a moment of peace as she finished the remaining stack of paperwork that had needed to be done. She knew he would be fine but she still could not help the feeling of unease in her. Rubbing her tired eyes softly, she turned to look and found it was only noon. After last night, she had not heard a word about Ichigo or Ganju, and she was not able to find Renji either when she went to visit him in the morning. But the fact that there was no news of Ichigo amongst the shinigamis meant that he was able to get out undetected. Or so she hoped.

Annoyed by where her thoughts were going, she stood up and made her way outside to get some much needed fresh air. She breathed in deeply, allowing the cool air to sooth her.

"Ah, Rukia-san, you made it!"

Rukia turned to the jovial voice and smiled. Captain Ukitake walked towards her with his warm smile, followed closely by Kiyone. Nodding, she bowed and motioned towards her office. "Yes, I had some work that had begun piling up so thought it would be best to finish all of this beforehand."

Ukitake nodded. "It is good that you are here. Come, I need your help today."

Rukia followed him out into the field where several of the shinigamis were training. She eyed him curiously as he pointed to a large group that she did not recognize.

"Those are the newest recruits that were accepted into our division. They will need to go through the extensive training before we start having them going on missions…"

Rukia nodded. "I understand, Ukitake-san. Hanatarou came by this morning and said that he will be able to look after nisama, so I'll be able to make certain they have the necessary training."

The captain smiled and walked with her to the group. As they got closer, Rukia stopped momentarily when something caught her eye.

_It couldn't be…_

She shook her head in disbelief but as she turned to look at the new recruits once more, the large mop of orange hair stood out. The owner of it stood in the middle, staring at her with an all knowing grin as she remained speechless.

_Ichigo…_

_To be continued...  
_

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Tun tun tuunnn. (peaks out) To all readers who have been sweet enough to wait two years for this update...I thank you. It has just been a very crazy couple of years and I'm just glad this chapter was able to be complete. Thank you, Ava, my beta, my friend, my forever identical cousin. To whom I don't think I would ever been able to have this chapter see the light of day if you had not been there. Thank you! And thank you everyone who has commented and left such amazingly supportive feedbacks. Your posts are what made me get off my lazy behind and finish this. Hopefully the final few chapters will follow with this very soon. Hopefully...Friday?  
_


End file.
